Distorted Blessings
by Constance.Tatum
Summary: Bella thought she had her whole life figured out and perfect. When she finds out she's pregnant and the father abandons her, will she be able to find the support she needs? Her parents are going on an expedition and she is sent to live with her godparents; the Cullens. Will they support her or abandon her like everyone else?
1. Chapter 1

Bella Swan slowly strolled along the beach with her best friend, Angela Weber, right beside her. Bella's normally bright eyes were bloodshot and puffy, and her dark hair fell limply past her shoulders.

"So what are you going to do, Bells?" Angela asked gently for fear that her friend would break if she spoke too loudly.

Bella sniffled and shook her head despairingly. "I have no idea," she confessed as a fresh set of tears poured from her tired eyes. "I just don't know."

"No matter what - I'll always be here for you," Angela said thoughtfully as she draped her arm around Bella's shoulder and pulled her into a gentle hug.

"Thanks, Angie," Bella whispered hoarsely.

The two 17-year-olds continued walking along the beach in silence for a while longer. Bella's mind was spinning round and round. A little over a month earlier she had been a normal, happy teenager, but now her life had been turned completely upside down because of one fatal mistake.

"What do you think James's going to say?" Angela asked curiously. She already had a good idea of his response. She imagined he would deny getting Bella pregnant. Then he would accuse her of sleeping around. He would go on to call her a number of names - none of them would be nice.

"I honestly don't know," Bella sniffled and then thought about it for a moment. "But I doubt he'll have anything good to say," she replied before breaking down once again.

Bella had only been dating James for a few weeks before she made the mistake of having unprotected sex with him.

"I'm so sorry, Bells," Angela sympathized.

"I better get home," Bella said wiping her tears away with the back of her hand as she tried to gain some sort of composure. "My mom and dad said they need to talk to me about something, so I'm sure they're probably expecting me home soon."

"Well call me if you need to talk, okay?" Angela commented thoughtfully as she gave Bella a comforting hug.

"I will," Bella nodded as she brushed away the last of her tears and started walking in the direction of her house.

Bella walked slowly along the sidewalk. She wondered what she would do now. Nothing in her life would ever be the same. She knew she had a decision to make, but she wasn't fond of any of her options.

'How could I have been so stupid?' she asked herself as she thought back to the night she had lost her virginity to James. She had thought that she truly loved him, but now she knew that that wasn't true. It was simply lust, and because of her reckless behavior she had a life altering decision to make.

When Bella arrived home, she quickly went to the bathroom to make sure that there was no evidence that she had been crying. She splashed some water on her face and dabbed it with a towel before going into the living room where her parents were talking quietly.

"Hi," Bella said casually, trying her best to act normal.

"Hello, sweetie," Charlie Swan said with a smile.

"You're home early, aren't you?" Bella commented as she sat down on the couch.

"Well, like we said this morning, your father and I need to talk to you about something important," Renee Swan replied.

"What's up?" Bella asked. She wondered what could be so important that her parents had left work earlier. Both of her parents worked at the archeology museum in the city and were often at work late many nights during the week. 'They couldn't possibly know about me.' She reasoned. 'I just found out for myself.'

"Well, your father and I got some very exciting news late last night. We are going on an archeological dig with the museum. There were some prehistoric bones found, and your father and I get to be part of the recovery and restoration," Renee replied with excitement in her voice.

"Wow," Bella said forcing a smile. She knew how much her parents thrived on this kind of thing, and she knew that they had wanted to be part of an archeological dig. "Where will we be going?" she asked.

"That's the part we wanted to talk to you about," Charlie commented.

"Your father and I will be going to Africa, and you will be going to stay with the Cullens," Renee explained.

"The Cullens? You mean, in Washington?" Bella cried. "For how long?"

"Honey, we're not sure," Renee answered.

"Well, is it just for the summer or what?" Bella questioned.

"For the summer," Charlie nodded. "And a little longer."

"Longer? How much longer?" Bella demanded.

"Bella, we could be gone for up to a year," Renee replied.

"A year?" Bella exclaimed. "But that's not fair! What am I supposed to do about school?"

"You'll go to school in Forks," Charlie replied.

"Why can't I say with Angela?" Bella asked.

"Bella, you know that the Weber's are busy now that they have the new baby," Renee answered. "We couldn't ask them to take care of you too."

"Mom, there's only five kids in Angela's family. The Cullens have seven!" Bella argued with her voice rising.

"Isabella Marie, this is not open for discussion," Charlie cut in. "You are going to stay with the Cullens. You have two weeks to get packed."

"This is so unfair!" Bella groaned as she stood up and stalked upstairs.

'I cannot believe this.' She mumbled as she sat down on her bed with a thud. She picked up her cordless phone and dialed Angela's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Angie," Bella sighed.

"What's up?" Angela asked.

"Well, my parents are going to Africa, and I'm going to Washington," Bella explained with tears forming in her eyes.

"What? Why? Washington? For how long?" Angela questioned.

"Up to a year because my parents have been invited to go on some archeological dig," Bella replied. "Just when I thought things couldn't possibly get worse ..." she murmured as she broke down.


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe that you're leaving for up to a year," Angela commented as she helped Bella pack her things.

"Neither can I," Bella sighed.

"Have you told James about the baby?" Angela asked curiously.

"I told him last night," Bella replied pushing a piece of hair from in front of her eyes.

"How did it go?" Angela asked reluctantly.

"Well, he accused me of cheating on him. He called me every name in the book and then some. I think he actually made up some new foul words," Bella explained. "Then he dumped me."

"Oh, Bells," Angela said hugging her. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't act so surprised, Angie," Bella commented. "We both knew this was what would happen."

"So what are you going to do?" Angela questioned.

"I guess I'll wait until I get to Forks and go to the clinic and get an abortion," Bella replied uncertainly.

"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" Angela asked.

"No," Bella replied honestly. "But I don't have much of a choice. I can't tell my parents. They'd never speak to me again. And James isn't going to help me if I keep the baby. Besides, I can't even take care of myself for the most part. I'm not fit to have a baby."

"Did you think about adoption?"

"Yeah," Bella nodded. "But I can't even imagine trying to tell my parents that I'm pregnant. They have no idea I've had sex. And I would ruin everything. They wouldn't be able to go to Africa because they'd feel like they have to stay home and take care of me, and I know that they'll resent me if they don't get to go. This is something they've wanted for a long time."

"Can you get an abortion without telling your parents?" Angela asked with concern. "Don't you need parental consent?"

"No, I already checked into it," Bella answered as she zipped up one of her many suitcases. "Washington doesn't have any parental consent laws."

"Well, you know you can call me anytime," Angela commented. "Call collect if you have to. I'll pay the bill."

"Thanks, Angie," Bella smiled weakly. "I'm gonna miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too," Angela replied glumly. "What time are you leaving?"

"4:30 in the morning," Bella sighed.

"I still don't understand why you're all driving there," Angela commented. "Why don't you just fly?"

"We're driving to Forks in my car because my parents want me to be able to have my car to drive," Bella explained.

"So, who are these people you're staying with?" Angela asked.

"Esme and Carlisle Cullen," Bella replied. "They're my God parents. Esme and my mom were best friends in college."

"Are they nice?"

"Yeah," Bella nodded thoughtfully. "They're really great people."

"What about the kids? You said there's seven of them, right?" Angela asked.

"Yeah, there are four boys, Jasper, Jacob, Edward, and Riley. And there's three girls, Jessica, Vicky, and Bree," Bella replied. "They're all pretty nice. I don't get along with Edward very well though. He's the one that's my age."

"Why don't you get along?" Angela inquired curiously.

"I don't know," Bella shrugged. "We just never have gotten along."

"Are you nervous about living there?"

"A little," Bella replied. "I'm definitely not thrilled about spending my junior year of high school in another state."

"Well, look on the bright side," Angela suggested.

"Bright side?" Bella laughed sardonically. "What bright side? I just turned 17. I'm pregnant, and my boyfriend just dumped me. I'm moving to Washington for up to a year, and I have to go to some school where I don't know anyone. Could you please direct me to the bright side of this?"

"I'm sorry, Bells," Angela sympathized. "I was just trying to be optimistic."

"I know," Bella nodded. "I'm just ... stressed."

"That's understandable," Angela nodded. "I know this has gotta be tough."

Bella sat down on her bed and shook her head. "I just ... I never thought that I would be one of those girls ... I mean, you always hear about these teenage girls getting pregnant, and I always told myself that that would never happen to me. But here I am. I'm one of those girls. I can't believe I was so stupid," she confessed as tears filled her eyes. "I don't know why I slept with James. I kept telling myself that he loved me, but I knew he didn't, and when he told me that he didn't have a condom, I should have said no, but I didn't. I didn't care. I was too caught up in the moment to even think rationally. Now I'm pregnant and alone."

"You're not alone, Bells," Angela said taking her friends hand and squeezing it. "You'll always have me. I'm always here for you."

"I know," Bella nodded. "But after tomorrow, I will be alone. I won't even have you."

Angela pulled Bella into a warm hug. "I wish there was something that I could say to you to make this situation better, but I know there isn't anything I can say," Angela said softly. "But I know you can make it through this. You're a tough girl."

"Thanks, Angie," Bella sniffled.

"Well," Angela said glancing at her watch. "I hate to say it, but I have to get home. I have to work tomorrow."

Bella nodded slowly as she stood up. "So, I guess this is goodbye," she sighed.

"Call me as soon as you get to Forks, okay?" Angela said giving her a hug.

"I will," Bella nodded. "You better keep me informed about all of the gossip at school, okay?"

"Don't worry," Angela grinned. "I am the gossip queen!"

Bella smiled softly as she picked up two of her suitcases. "I'll walk you out to your car," she offered. "I need to start putting some of my stuff in my car."

"I'll help," Angela said picking up two of Bella's bags and followed Bella downstairs and outside to the driveway, where the cars were sitting.

"I can't believe I'm not going to be living here," Bella commented after heaving her suitcases into the trunk and turning to look at the house she had grown up in. "It's hard to imagine living anywhere else."

"It'll be okay," Angela assured her as she shut the trunk.

"I hope so," Bella whispered.

"I'll talk to you after you get to Washington," Angela said giving her one last hug.

"Okay," Bella nodded as Angela headed over to her car.


	3. Chapter 3

The drive to Washington was less than thrilling. Bella was in a foul mood. With so much happening in her life so fast, she was easily agitated and wanted to scream her head off at the sound of her parents' voices.

"Are you hungry, Bells?" Charlie asked from the driver's seat.

"No," she replied numbly and grabbed her headphones and placed them on her head and turned up her ipod as high as it would go to drown out any more attempts of conversation between herself and her parents.

Her mind was so crowded by everything happening around her. She was nervous about moving in with the Cullens. She hadn't visited them in at least a few years. Though she really liked Esme and Carlisle, she was far from thrilled about being thrown into their family. Bella wondered what in the world had ever possessed Esme and Carlisle to have seven children. She considered the idea that perhaps Esme hadn't planned on getting pregnant and it had just happened - much like Bella.

The part the bothered Bella the most about living with them was that she was so used to being an only child. She had never had to worry about privacy. Her parents had always given her space - perhaps too much because it had gave her the opportunity to be alone with James and become sexually active.

She silently cursed her parents. She never thought that she would say it, but she almost wished that they had been stricter with her. Then she probably never would have been in this situation. But Bella knew that deep down it was useless to blame her parents. If they had been stricter, then she simply would have snuck out to be alone with James - or any other boy she was dating. Although it was easier to point the finger at someone else, the only person to blame was herself.

Bella wondered how she was going to manage to get to the abortion clinic. She wasn't looking forward to going, but she knew that it had to be done. Her only problem was getting away from the Cullens long enough to get the job done. She sighed inwardly. She really hated herself.

'I am such a terrible person.' She thought as she pushed her hair out of her face. She had changed so much as a person, but she wasn't even sure anyone had noticed. She had always been an honor student - making the highest grades. She was involved in school events. Then she met James. She knew from the moment that she first saw him that he was going to be bad news, but she couldn't help herself. She was hooked - simply because he was gorgeous.

She closed her eyes and imagined seeing his face. His blue eyes filled with mischief, and his blonde hair shining as the sun reflected off of his tanned skin making him seem as though he were glowing. He had a smile to die for. She could never stay mad at him when he flashed that sexy smile. And those lips. He was an amazing kisser. When he kissed her, it was with such passion that she just couldn't resist him.

She felt her eyes burn as she remembered the night she had gave herself to him.

"When are your parents going to be home?" James asked as he kissed her neck gently and eased her body back against the arm of the couch.

"Not until late," Bella grinned running her fingers through his hair as he began to unbutton her shirt.

"Good," he smiled against her bare skin.

Bella closed her eyes as James pushed her shirt to the side and began a trail of kisses down her skin sending chills up her spine. Bella licked her lips and let out a soft moan as he kneaded her breasts and continued to kiss her hot flesh.

"I want you so bad, Bells," he whispered as he brought his lips back up to hers.

Bella opened her eyes and looked deep into his. "I want you, too," she said just above a whisper.

James slowly stood up and took her hand and pulled her up off of the couch. Bella silently followed as he led her up the staircase and down the hallway to her bedroom. Bella closed the door behind them and turned to James but was surprised to find his lips immediately on hers.

James pushed her shirt off of her shoulder and Bella let is slip to the floor as James pulled his faded Zeppelin t-shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor along with Bella's shirt.

James placed his hands on either side of Bella's face and kissed her deeply, slipping his tongue into her mouth as Bella stepped closer to him wrapping her arms around his torso and gently running her fingers up and down his back.

James released her from his intense kiss and whispered in her ear, "I love you, Bells."

Bella closed her eyes and leaned into him. "I love you, too," she confessed before leaning back and looking up into his eyes.

He gently slipped his fingers under the straps of her bra and pushed them down before reaching around to her back and unclasping her bra as he leaned down and kissed her naked chest. Bella bit her lip to stifle a soft moan as she placed her hands on the door behind her to maintain her balance. She could feel her knees growing weak.

She knew that tonight was the night. It wasn't long before James had pushed her over to the bed and began to unfasten her jeans and started pulling them down her tan legs followed by her panties. Bella's heart raced as she sat up slowly and reached for the button of her boyfriend's jeans and effortlessly popped the button open and pushed them - along with his boxers - down over his slender hips. James quickly stepped out of them and pushed Bella slowly back on the bed as he climbed onto the bed and rested his body gently on top of hers as he began to kiss her lips with such passion that Bella was sure she was going to burst if he didn't make love to her.

As his hands traveled over her body, Bella simply closed her eyes and let her hands glide over the smooth muscles in his back. She loved him. He felt so amazing. She gasped when she felt him insert two fingers into her entrance. She closed her eyes and moaned.

"God, baby, I want you," James murmured.

"Mmm," Bella managed as her hips took on a mind of their own and began to move against his fingers. James removed his fingers and positioned himself between her legs. She felt him press the tip against her sensitive flesh and immediately her eyes fluttered open and she sat up.

"What's wrong?" James asked furrowing his brow as though he were hurt by her actions.

"Do - do you have a condom?" she asked.

"Shit," James cursed as he looked around the room. "Do you?"

Bella shook her head. She looked at James's face as he thought. "What if I pull out?" he asked.

Bella looked at him reluctantly. "But ... I mean ..." she stammered.

"Please?" he pouted. "I love you. I just want to be with you."

Bella looked into his eyes as they pleaded with her. "Promise you'll pull out?" she asked.

"Promise," he replied as he kissed her deeply as he laid her back on the bed. This time positioning himself to enter her and plunging in before she could protest.

Bella let out a soft cry as she felt him invade her body. Her eyes burned and she dug her fingers into the sheets.

"Are you okay, baby?" James whispered as he strategically placed kisses all over her face.

Bella bit her lip and nodded as he began to move within her. It hurt. It hurt so badly. She wanted to tell him to stop, but the look in his eyes - the look of love and pleasure mixed into one - kept her from ending it. As she began to relax, the pain began to subside and was replaced by pleasure.

All thoughts of condoms and pulling out were replaced by pleasure. Bella knew that pulling out wasn't any safer than not using a condom, but she no longer cared. She felt too good to be bothered by those thoughts. It wasn't long before she felt the beginning of an orgasm set in and she called out while at the same time James groaned loudly and emptied himself inside her.

Bella sat up at when she felt someone's hand brush against her knee. She looked up to find her mom looking at her.

She tore off her headphones and snapped, "What?"

"We're almost there," Renee said. "I just thought I'd let you know."

"Thanks," Bella said sarcastically as she sat up in her seat and rolled her eyes in an attempt to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over.


	4. Chapter 4

Bella slowly stepped out of the backseat of the car and lifted her arms above her head stretching before reaching back into the car and picking up her book bag and slipping the straps over her shoulders.

She looked up at the white house before her with surprise. She hadn't visited with the Cullens since they had moved. Before they had lived in a much smaller house, but from the looks of things, the size of their house had doubled.

"Bells?" she heard. She tore her eyes off the house and noticed her mother looking at her expectantly.

"Huh?" she said.

"Come on," Renee said motioning for her to follow her. Charlie had already made his way up to the door and was waiting for both of them.

Bella sighed and followed after her mother. "Sweetie, are you feeling alright?" Renee asked after Bella fell in step beside her and she draped her arm over her shoulder.

"Just tired, that's all," Bella replied looking to the ground as they reached the front door, where Charlie was waiting. He pressed the doorbell and rustled Bella's hair causing her to look up and glare at him.

"Sorry," he said as the front door swung open.

"Charlie! Renee!" Esme Cullen smiled with delight as she gave them each a hug before turning to Bella and embracing her in a hug. "My have you changed, Bella! You're more beautiful than ever."

Bella blushed and mumbled, "Thank you."

"Well, what are standing out here for?" Esme smiled. "Let's go inside."

Bella followed her parents and Esme into the immaculate house. Esme led them into the living room. "Well, have a seat," she smiled. "Are you thirsty? Hungry? I imagine that you're tired," she said.

"Esme, we're fine," Renee interrupted as she and Charlie sat down on the couch. Bella looked around for a moment and sat down in a recliner.

Bella couldn't help but smile as she watched Esme. She was probably the kindest woman Bella had ever met. She and Renee had been best friends, and when Bella was little, she had always loved when her mother told her that they were going to go see Esme and her family.

She couldn't explain it, but something about Esme always just set Bella at ease. The way she moved around so freely - the way she always made you feel welcome.

"We didn't know when you'd be arriving, but I just sent Carlisle into town to get some pizzas and some drinks," Esme smiled. "Bree, Riley, and Vicky decided to tag along."

"And I sent Edward and Jacob over to get the roll away bed from their grandmother's house," Esme commented as a teenage girl with long wavy blonde hair strolled into the living room.

"This can't be Jessica, can it?" Renee smiled.

Esme draped her arm around Jessica's shoulder. "It sure is," she beamed. "She's almost 15."

Renee shook her head. "They just grow up too fast," she said.

"Don't I know it," Esme sighed. "Jasper's engaged, and Jacob's in college. Living at the dorms."

"How old are the boys now?" Charlie asked.

"Jasper is 22. Jacob is 20, and Edward is 17," Esme replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Jess, why don't you take Bella upstairs and show her, her room?"

"Sure," Jessica smiled as she motioned for Bella to follow her. Bella stood up and followed Jessica down the hallway to a staircase. "I have a feeling my mom was going to get weepy eyed any minute," she commented with a laugh.

Bella nodded. "I think you're right," she said as she followed her upstairs and down the hallway. "So, you're almost 15, huh?"

"Yeah," Jessica nodded. "My birthday is at the end of July."

"Cool," Bella said. "The last time I saw you ... I think you were ... 12?"

"Yeah, that's probably right," Jessica nodded. "How old are you?"

"I just turned 17," Bella replied as Jessica stopped at the door at the end of the hall and turned the knob and pushed the door open. "This is your room," she said as she stepped inside with Bella right behind her.

Bella took a look around. The walls were a pale shade of blue with two windows on the far wall with a full size bed positioned between them with a nightstand under each window. There were two dressers spread around the room. There was a door beside one of the dressers on the wall across from the entrance, and on the other wall was another door.

"This was Jacob's room when he still lived at home," Jessica commented as she walked to the other door across the room. "This is the walk in closet. There's plenty of room in here. I'll get you some hangers after bit."

"Okay," Bella nodded as she peeked her head into the closet and was surprised to find that it was incredibly spacious - it was even larger than the closet she had at home.

"And over here," Jessica began as she walked over to the other door. "is the bathroom."

Bella followed her into the bathroom. "Unfortunately, your bathroom is adjoined to Edward's room," Jessica said as she walked over to the other door and opened it to reveal another room with clothes strewn all over the floor. "He's quite the slob sometimes, so you might have to get onto him about keeping the bathroom clean."

"Great," Bella said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yeah, I know the idea of sharing a bathroom with Edward isn't too appealing to me either," Jessica grinned.

"Oh well," Bella shrugged. "I can't be choosey."

"Well, I'm sure you could if you want to," Jessica shrugged with a light laugh. "But the alternative to this room is the hall closet."

"Well, I think this room will do just fine," Bella replied. "But then again, if the hall closet is anything like that one," she said pointing to the closet in the room they had just been in. "Then it may not be too bad."

"Yeah, whoever built this house must have really liked closets," Jessica commented. "So, want to go get your stuff? I can help you bring it up."

"Okay, thanks," Bella smiled taking her book bag off of her shoulder as she walked back into the bedroom and sitting her bag on the bed before following Jessica back down the stairs.

"Where are you two going?" Esme asked as Jessica reached for the doorknob.

"We're going out to get Bella's stuff," Jessica replied.

"Oh, okay," Esme nodded. "You might check to see if the mail has come yet."

"Okay," Jessica said as she opened the front door and stepped outside as Esme turned back to Renee and Charlie. Bella pulled the front door shut.

"So, this is your car?" Jessica asked as Bella walked around to the trunk and hit a button and lifting the trunk up.

"Yep," she nodded.

"Cool," Jessica said nudging her in the side. "So, are you gonna be the best houseguest in the world and give me a ride to school everyday?"

Bella smiled. "Yeah, sure," she nodded. "You'll be a freshman, right?"

"Yeah," Jessica nodded. "And you'll be a junior, right?"

"Right," Bella nodded as she lifted one of her suitcases out of the trunk. "What grade will Edward be in?"

"He'll be a senior," she replied.

"Doesn't he have a car?"

Jessica nodded and pointed toward the back of the house toward a small black truck. "That's his truck."

"But he won't take you to school?" Bella asked.

"Psst," Jessica laughed. "Yeah, right. He'd sooner let me hitchhike!"

"Aw," Bella said. "What a butthead."

"Yeah, Edward can be quite the ass," Jessica nodded.

"Well, don't worry, you can ride with me," Bella replied.

"Thank you, you're too kind," Jessica smiled.

"Yeah, well, I have to have someone giving me directions on where to go, or I'll have myself completely lost," Bella grinned as another truck pulled up behind Bella's car.

"Speak of the devil," Jessica murmured rolling her eyes as two guys stepped out of the truck.

"Bells?"

Bella turned around and looked up to meet two brown eyes and smiled. "Jacob!" she said as she gave him a quick hug.

"Long time, no see," he grinned.

"Yeah, I know," she nodded. "Damn, you got tall!"

"And you're still short," he said. She punched him playfully in the arm.

"Shut up," Bella pouted as she turned to the other guy and gave a little wave. "Hey, Edward," she smiled.

"Hey, Bells," he replied nodding his head a little. She noticed that he had cut his hair. It had been a lot longer the last time she had seen him, but now it was very short and styled like most guys hair with the messed up gel look.

"I like your hair," she commented. "When did you cut it?"

"Um," Edward said rubbed his temple. "Last year."

"Looks good," she said.

"He got tired of people calling him a fag," Jessica commented.

Edward turned and glared his younger sister. "Shut up."

Bella glanced at Jacob who simply shook his head and grinned. "See what you get to put up with now."

"Yeah," Bella nodded slowly.

"So, what are you doing?" Jacob asked pointing to the open trunk.

"Oh, just taking my stuff inside," Bella replied.

"Need some help?"

"Sure," Bella shrugged as she pulled another suitcase out of the trunk. "There's some stuff in the back seat too ..."

"I'll get it," Edward said with a light sigh as he walked over to back door and open it and pulled out some bags.

"Thanks, Edward," Bella said as she as she slung a bag over her shoulder and handed another one to Jessica before glancing at Jacob. "So, I hear that you're in college now?"

"That's right," he nodded.

"Are you a frat boy?" Bella grinned.

"Yeah, I wish," Jacob said.

"Mom won't let him join one because she's afraid of hazing," Jessica commented as she picked up one of the suitcases and they all headed toward the house with all of Bella's things.

"That's too bad," Bella commented.

"Well, it doesn't stop me from going to parties though," he said in low tone so that no one but Bella could hear.

"I see," she grinned as they stepped into the house.

Esme peeked over the side of the chair she was sitting in. "Oh, boys, you're home," she smiled. "Come in and say hello to Charlie and Renee."

Edward headed into the living room as Jessica headed upstairs. "I'll be right back, mom," Jacob said as he followed Bella upstairs.

Jessica was sitting down the bags she had carried upstairs as Jacob and Bella entered the room. Jacob sat the bags in his arms down. "I'll be right back," he commented.

"I'm going to go get some hangers while I'm thinking about it," Jessica commented as she brushed past Bella and out into the hall.

Bella looked around the room at all of her stuff in bags as Edward walked into the room and sat down the bags he had carried inside.

"Thanks for helping," Bella smiled.

"Yeah, no problem," Edward nodded.

"I can't believe I had all this stuff in my car," Bella commented with a light laugh. "It looks like I've got a lot of unpacking to do."

"Yes, I guess so," Edward replied.

"I hope you don't mind sharing a bathroom too much," Bella commented trying to fill the silence in the room.

He shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"So, Jess said you were a bit of a slob in the bathroom," Bella said with a smirk.

He looked at her and rolled his eyes. "Well, Jess doesn't know what she's talking about," he replied.

"Oh, well, it's okay. I'm a bit of slob, too," Bella said thoughtfully.

"I said I don't know what she's talking about," Edward said glaring at her before walking over to the bathroom door and walking through - slamming his door shut behind him.

Bella was so taken aback by his sudden mood swing that she didn't even notice when Jacob walked back into the room.

"Dad just got home with the food," he commented looking around. "Where's Jess and Edward?"

"Jess went to get some hangers," Bella replied with her eyes still on the door to Edward's room. She slowly raised her hand and pointed towards the door. "And Edward - he's in there."

"Well, I'll get him and Jess," Jacob commented. "You can go on down stairs. I'm sure you're starved from being on the road."

"Yeah," Bella nodded slowly as she headed for the door. She felt dazed. Jacob had always been like the older brother she had never had, but she and Edward had never really gotten along very well. She never understood why, but she had figured that since they were older now that things would have panned out and the past had been left behind, but from the looks of things, she had been wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Bella found herself standing in the airport with her parents and Esme and Carlisle. Jessica was at home tending to the other Cullen children.

"Now, Bella, I know that you're still upset with us, but I hope you'll forgive us and have fun while you're here with the Cullens," Renee said hugging her tightly and whispering in her ear. "I love you, sweetie. And I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too," Bella replied as her mother released her from their embrace and her father stepped in front of her.

He pulled out his wallet and pulled out a credit card. "You're mother and I wanted to get something for you," he began clearing his throat as he held the credit card out in front of her.

Bella gasped as she took it slowly and looked up at her father questioningly.

"Just use it generously," he said sternly.

Bella smiled a little before she gave Charlie a hug. "Thanks, dad," she said.

"You're welcome," he replied patting her gently on the back. "Now you behave yourself and stay out of trouble, you hear?"

"I will," Bella nodded.

"Okay, we'll try to call as much as possible," Charlie commented.

"I know," Bella nodded.

After saying their farewell to Esme and Carlisle, Renee and Charlie headed off to board their plane.

"Do you want to stay to watch them take off?" Esme asked placing her hands on Bella's shoulders.

Bella shook her head. "Nah, let's go," she replied.

"Okay," Esme nodded. "I need to stop by the grocery store to get a few things. Anything in particular that you want?"

Bella shook her head. "No, not that I can think of," she replied. In fact, food was the least of her worries. With her parents out of the way, she had to begin thinking about how to get away from the Cullens long enough to have an abortion. She didn't really want to think about how she was going to do that since she had just arrived at the Cullens house the day before, but she knew this wasn't something she could put off.

"Maybe after lunch you can get one of the kids to show you around town," Esme commented. "I know it's been quite a while since you've been to visit, so you probably don't remember much about this area."

"No, I don't," Bella replied as she climbed into the backseat of Carlisle's station wagon. Bella decided that she would ask Jessica if she could give her the grand tour of Forks. Jacob had left the night before to head back to college; otherwise, she would have asked him.

After a short stop at the grocery store, they were back at the Cullens house. Esme quickly set to work on fixing lunch while Carlisle headed into his office to finish up some work. Bella stood alone in the front foyer for a moment before heading upstairs to her room. She had lots of unpacking to do, and she figured that now was as good a time as any to get it done.

As she was walking down the hall, Jessica stepped out of her room into the hallway.

"Oh, you're back," she smiled.

"Yeah," Bella nodded. "I was just going to finish unpacking while your mom fixes lunch."

"Need some help?" Jessica offered.

"That would be great," she smiled.

"So, I bet you're pretty pissed at your parents for leaving you here, aren't you?" Jessica commented as she helped lift one of the suitcases up on the bed.

Bella looked at her with surprise. She had never heard Jessica swear before. She noticed Bella's look and looked around for a moment. "What? Why are you looking like that?" she asked with confusion.

"Nothing," Bella smirked as she shook my head. "I've just never heard you swear before."

"Oh," she said laughing lightly. "Not many have."

"I bet your mom wouldn't be too happy if she heard those dirty words coming out of your mouth, eh?" Bella grinned.

"No, in fact, she'd probably try to wash my mouth out with soap while she still can. Jazz, Jake, and Edward are too old and too big for her try to do that to," Jessica sighed. "So, are you going to answer my question?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Bella said as she began to put some of my shirts on hangers as Jessica did the same. "Yeah, I guess I am pretty pissed off at them. I mean, it's going to suck going to a different school my junior year and not see any of my friends. And the timing is probably the worst part. So much is going wrong in my life right now ..." Bella stopped short because she felt sure she was revealing too much.

"Like what?" Jessica asked curiously.

"Uh ..." Bella said as she walked over to the closet and tried to think of some reasonable answer because she wasn't about to reveal that she was pregnant. "Right after my parents told me about their plans, my boyfriend and I broke up. He didn't like the idea of my moving so far away."

That had been the same story Bella had told her parents and all of her other friends - save for Angela- as well. So far everyone had believed her. She just hoped that James wouldn't go around telling everyone that she had told him that she was pregnant.

"Oh," Jessica said as Bella turned back to her. "Sorry to hear that."

Bella shrugged. "Don't worry about it. We probably wouldn't have survived the distance anyway."

"What was his name?" Jessica asked curiously.

"James," Bella replied as she took some of her clothes over to the dresser and put them away.

"That's a cool name," Jessica commented. "But he must have been a jerk if he broke up with just because you were moving away."

Bella turned to Jessica and forced a smile. "You're right. He was just a jerk," she agreed. "So, how about you? Got a boyfriend?"

"Heh, me? No," Jessica laughed. "Me and guys ... it's like a natural disaster. I make an idiot out of myself without any effort."

"Aw, I'm sure you'll get past that," Bella said reassuringly.

"That's probably really easy for you to say," Jessica replied.

"What makes you say that?" Bella said raising an eyebrow.

"You're so pretty. I bet you won't have any problems finding a boyfriend here," Jessica replied.

Bella flushed. "Thanks, Jess," she replied. "But I don't think a boyfriend is what I need right now."

"Yeah, right," Jessica said rolling her eyes. "I bet you'll be singing a different tune as soon as you catch a glimpse at some of the guys at our school. Edward has some pretty hot friends."

"Ooh, you got your eye on one of Edward's friends?" Bella grinned.

"No," Jessica blushed looking away.

"Oh, come on, Jess! Tell me!" Bella pleaded.

"If I tell you, you can't tell anyone, okay?" Jessica said reluctantly as she sat down on the bed.

"Cross my heart, hope to die," Bella promised drawing an X over her heart.

"Okay, I think that Edward's best friend, Mike, is cute," Jessica blushed. "And he's really sweet, too. Like all of Edward's other friends treat like Edward treats me - like I'm a mutant or something - but Mike doesn't treat me like that. He's actually nice to me!"

"Aw, maybe he likes you too!" Bella grinned.

"I don't think so," Jessica said shaking her head.

"Well, I can't wait to meet this Mike guy," Bella smiled.

"Just please don't tell anyone that I like him!" Jessica pleaded as she said she threw herself down face first on the bed.

Bella laughed and shook her head. "Don't worry. I promise never to tell another living soul!"

"Thank you," Jessica mumbled with her face still buried in the comforter on Bella's bed. They both jumped when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Bella said.

The door opened and 12-year-old Vicky poked her head. "Lunch is ready," she said.

"Okay, we'll be right there," Bella smiled as she turned back to Jessica who sat up slowly.

"Does Vicky know your little secret?" Bella asked grinning devilishly.

"No, and you better not tell her! She has the biggest mouth!" Jessica exclaimed.

Bella laughed. "I'm just joking. I promised not to tell anyone, and I won't," Bella nodded. "Now let's go eat. I'm famished."

Bella had noticed that she was beginning to get hungry more often than she used to. Her mom usually told her that she ate like a bird, but since she had found out about the pregnancy and about moving, food had become one of her few comforts, but she knew that food was a dangerous thing for her. The more she ate, the more weight she would gain, and she didn't want to show any signs of being pregnant, so she decided that she would just have to watch herself and make sure to get plenty of exercise until she could get to an abortion clinic.


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you ready to go, Jess?" Bella asked as she held her car keys between her teeth as she secured her dark hair in a low ponytail as she stopped into front of Jessica's bedroom door.

"Yep," Jessica nodded as she grabbed a small purse off of the dresser by her door.

The previous day Jessica and Bella had been so busy with unpacking Bella's things that it was far too late for Jessica to show her around town then, so they had made plans to do so the following afternoon.

"The mall is the best place," Jessica commented as she walked downstairs. "I love Abercrombie, but mom always throws a fit when I try to get the kind of clothes I like. If my belly button even shows a little, she won't let me get it."

Bella smiled at her sympathetically. She had no idea how Jessica felt. Her mother had never told that she couldn't wear something out. For as long as she could remember, her mother had always taken her to the mall and let her buy whatever she wanted. Her mother never fussed over how much something cost or how it fit. She didn't care.

Bella shook her head. She almost hated the fact that her parents had spoiled her. If they had made her a stronger person growing up, then she maybe she wouldn't be feeling so utterly helpless and lost.

"Are you girls leaving now?" Esme asked as she walked down the hall with a laundry basket full of clothes.

"Yeah," Jessica nodded.

"Well, just be careful," Esme smiled. "And have fun."

"We will," Jessica smiled as she opened the front door with Bella close behind.

"So, where's a good place to work around here?" Bella asked after Jessica had given her some instructions on where to go.

"Well, the mall is always cool," Jessica grinned. "I'm a bit obsessed with the mall in case you haven't noticed."

Bella simply smiled.

"But let's see ..." Jessica said thoughtfully. "Edward works at Starbucks."

"Ooh, Starbucks," Bella sighed. "One of my many weaknesses."

"Me too," Jessica nodded.

"Too bad I can't go there when Edward's working," Bella commented.

"Why's that?" Jessica asked.

"Um, your brother only hates me for no good reason," Bella replied.

"Edward doesn't hate you," Jessica said.

"Yeah, well, I think when he walked away and slammed the door behind him it was a good indication that he strongly dislikes me," Bella smirked.

"Edward's just a jackass," Jessica commented. "Jacob says that he's just sexually frustrated and takes it out on everyone else because he can't get laid."

"Why would Edward have any trouble getting laid?" Bella asked blankly. "I mean, he's not a bad looking guy ... He's actually pretty ..."

Bella stopped short when she saw the shocked look on Jessica's face. "What?" she asked.

"You like my brother!" she laughed.

"I do not," Bella replied blushing. "Yes, I think he's good looking, but no, I do not like him."

"Yeah, and I don't like Mike," Jessica said sarcastically.

Bella gave Jessica a sideways glare as she stopped a stoplight. "I don't like Edward. I promise," Bella said seriously. "I wouldn't mind being his friend because that would mean that I actually have at least a few friends before school starts, but for some reason, Edward just doesn't want to have anything to do with me."

"What is up with that anyway?" Jessica asked. "You and Edward were the closest in age, but when you were little, the two of you refused to play together."

"Edward said I had cooties," Bella replied lightly as the light turned green and she sped off down the road. "Apparently, he still thinks I have them."

Jessica laughed. "That sounds like Edward," she commented rolling her eyes. "So, will you really not go to Starbucks if Edward's working?"

"Oh, I don't know," Bella shrugged. "Why?"

"Because Mike works there too, and he's working today too," Jessica replied slyly.

"And how do you know this?" Bella said raising an eyebrow.

"Because Edward said he had to give him a ride to work today," Jessica replied matter-of-factly. "It's not like I stalk him or something!"

"Right," Bella said slowly with a smirk spreading across her face.

Jessica made a face at Bella as she turned into a huge parking lot. "SCORE! I made it to the mall in one piece!" Bella grinned.

After a grand tour of the mall, some shopping, and picking up a few applications, Bella and Jessica headed out to the car.

"So, how might I get to the Starbucks where the famous Mike works?" Bella inquired.

"We're really going to go see him?" Jessica squealed.

Bella burst out laughing. "Oh, yes, if this guy is squeal worthy, then I have to see him!" she exclaimed as she started the car.

Jessica bounced around in her seat. "Go over to the exit and turn right and turn left at the next light," she directed.

"You are such a dork," Bella laughed as she followed Jessica's instructions.

"I know," Jessica nodded frantically.

"So, you're not going to act like this when we go inside, are you?" Bella asked curiously.

"Of course not!" Jessica replied. "I'd die if Mike saw me acting this stupid!"

Bella took a deep breath and nodded, "I think I would too."

"Hey," Jessica grinned as she slapped Bella playfully.

As much as Bella hated to admit it, she was really looking forward to spending more time around Jessica. Bella couldn't believe how quickly they had become friends. It was actually quite a relief. Before she had arrived in Forks, Bella had been certain that she wouldn't have any friends, but she could see clearly now that she had been wrong about that. Jessica was great. And Vicky and Bree were incredibly sweet as well. Bella had a feeling that they were going to be like the sisters that she never had.

"We're here!" Jessica grinned nearly jumping out of the car before Bella stopped.

'That girl is crazy.' Bella thought shaking her head as she got out of the car.

Bella followed Jessica inside, and they slowly approached the counter. "Which one is Mike?" Bella whispered in Jessica's ear.

"Spiked blonde hair. Blue eyes," Jessica answered quietly as the people in front of them stepped out of the way.

"Hey, Jess," the guy at the counter smiled. He had spiked hair and blue eyes, and his nametag said 'Mike.'

"Hi," Jessica blushed as Mike turned to Bella.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"This is Bella," Jessica replied. "She's staying with us while her parents are in Africa. Bella, this is Mike."

"Hi," Bella smiled as Edward walked over to the counter.

"What are you two doing here?" Edward asked narrowing his eyes at Jessica and then at Bella.

"Uh, duh, getting a frappucino," Jessica said making a face at Edward. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be nice to the customers?"

"Well, I am when the customer isn't my little sister," Edward shot back before turning back to Mike. "Anyway, Myra told me to tell you that you can go on break. I'll take over from here."

"Okay," Mike nodded before waving at Jessica and Bella. "It was nice meeting you, Bella. See you around, Jess."

"See ya," Jessica replied while Bella simply smiled.

"So, what can get you?" Edward asked unenthusiastically after Mike was gone.

Jessica and Bella quickly gave him their order and stepped over to the side to wait while he fixed them.

"Ya know, there's just something about watching my brother wait on me that just makes me want to laugh in his face," Jessica commented in a hushed tone.

Bella laughed. "Jess, you and Edward are something else."


	7. Chapter 7

Bella took a deep breath as she slowly walked up the sidewalk. She looked around to quickly make sure that there was no one that she knew around before she pulled the door open and stepped into the abortion clinic.

She had narrowly escaped the Cullens house. Esme had asked her several questions about where she was going. Bella hated lying to Esme, but she obviously couldn't tell her where she was really going, so she said had told her that she was going to look for a job. After getting the third degree about being careful and making sure that she had her cell phone with her, Esme had let her go.

Bella took a deep breath as she walked over to the front desk. She had found the location of the clinic a few days earlier and was waiting for the opportunity to get away from everyone to go. Jessica had left to stay the night with a friend the night before, and Bella decided that this would be the best day to go because she wouldn't have to try to sneak away from Jessica. She knew that if Jessica had been home, she would have wanted to tag along.

Bella entertained the idea of bringing Jessica along with her for a brief moment. The idea of having someone there to hold her hand and comfort her sounded like heaven, but Bella knew that she could never drop something this heavy onto the shoulders of 14-year-old whose biggest problem was pining after her older brother's best friend.

The woman at the desk looked up and smiled. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Um, yeah," Bella said slowly. "I - um - I'm here ... I need to ..." She stumbled over her words. She didn't know quite what to say. Her plan to act mature and confident had already gone out the window. She knew there was no way she was going to be able to act like this was not a big deal because it was.

"Are you here to have an abortion?" she woman asked softly.

Bella nodded. The woman patted Bella's hand gently. "Don't worry, sweetie. You're in good hands," she said as she pulled out some forms. "You need to fill these out and we'll try to get you in with a doctor as soon as possible, okay?"

"Okay," Bella nodded. "Thank you," she said as she sat down on a chair across the room. Bella just stared at the papers for a moment before she slowly began to fill it out. She was having trouble concentrating. Her hand shook as she filled out her information, and she even forgot her social security number and had to look for it on her driver's license.

After finally wading her way through all the forms, Bella walked back up to the desk and gave the receptionist her papers.

"Thank you," she said glancing at the papers as she stood up, "Bella. I'll take you back to a room now, so you can wait on a doctor."

Bella followed the receptionist back to a room. "You need to take off all your clothes and change into this," she said handing Bella a hospital gown. "And then you can just sit down here and wait. It shouldn't be too long," she said smiling sympathetically.

"Okay," Bella nodded taking a deep breath.

"Bella, don't worry. It will all be over soon," the receptionist said patting her on the back before leaving the room closing the door behind her.

Bella pushed her hair out of her face and looked around the room nervously. She wondered if she could she really go through with this. She slowly began to unbutton her shirt to change, but stopped and leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

"It will all be over soon," Bella whispered repeating the receptionist's words to herself. She took a deep breath and quickly changed into the gown the receptionist had given her.

She sat down on the examination table and cringed at the sound of the crackling of the white paper on it and nervously bit at her nails. As each minute passed, her nerve seemed to deteriorate. She thought about what her parents would think if they knew that she was doing.

'They'd hate me.' She thought. 'They'd hate me if they found out that I'm pregnant. They'd hate me because I'm murdering my baby.' She thought. Then her thoughts drifted to Jessica. They had only recently become friends, but Bella knew that Jessica looked up to her. 'What kind of an example am I setting?' Bella wondered.

She jumped when the door swung open and plain-faced woman with a doctor's jacket came in holding some papers.

"Bella Swan?" she asked glancing at her.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"I'm Dr. Sheridan," she said with a sympathetic smile. "I just need to check a few things out before we get started. I just need you to lay back on the table."

Bella could hear her words, but suddenly everything around her seemed to be spinning. She felt frozen as the room twisted and turned all around her. Bella closed her eyes tightly and tried to stop the room from spinning around her.

"Bella? Bella, are you okay?" Dr. Sheridan asked placing her hand on Bella's shoulder.

Bella opened her eyes slowly and looked up at the doctor. "I can't do this," she whispered as tears stung her eyes. "I can't do this."

Less than an hour later, Bella was sitting at Starbucks sipping on a cup of hot cocoa and trying to pull herself together. Back at the clinic, she had dressed quickly and hurried out the door and to her car before she finally began to sob.

Somehow she had managed to calm herself enough to drive away. She had decided to stop at Starbucks and take some time just to think. She figured that it was safe to stop there because Edward didn't have to work, so she wouldn't have to worry about him seeing her in the state she was in.

Bella tried to sort out what had happened. All along she had known that she really didn't want to have an abortion, but it was her only real choice. And when she had finally got the chance to go and take care of things, she had freaked out. She didn't know when she would be able to be alone like this again and was afraid she had missed her only chance.

Bella closed her eyes and felt hot tears slide down her already tearstained cheeks. She knew she had to pull herself back together and think all this through calmly, but at the moment she was anything but calm or collected.

"Are you okay?"

Bella looked up slowly and saw Mike standing over her with a look of concern. She wiped her eyes and nodded slowly. She cursed and chided herself for not thinking about the possibility of running into him.

"It's Bella, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied as her voice cracked.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm just having a bad day," she lied.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mike asked.

"No, really, I'm fine," Bella said quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about it. She just wanted to forget about everything. "But thanks for asking," she added quickly.

"Okay," Mike said slowly. "Well, I guess I'll see you around then."

"Yeah, see ya," Bella replied forcing a smile as Mike walked away.

After he was gone, Bella laid her head on the table and closed her eyes. 'What am I going to do?' she wondered. What would she do if Mike mentioned this to Edward? What would she tell him if he asked her about it?

She buried her head in her hands. Each passing day she was growing more and more confused. She didn't know what to do anymore. She had been trying to keep up a good front and make everyone believe that she was happy, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep it up - especially if someone like Edward started to ask questions.


	8. Chapter 8

Edward slid into the booth next to Tanya Denali and looked at Mike who was seated across from him next to their other best friend, Lauren Mallory.

"So did you work today, Edward?" Tanya asked flashing him a smile.

Edward considered knocking the shit out of Mike at that very moment. When Mike had invited him to go out for dinner with some friends, he had somehow forgot to mention that Tanya was going as well. If Edward had known, he wouldn't have bothered to show up. Tanya had been following Edward around like a lost puppy for the last few months, and at first he thought it was kind of cute. He was even a little flattered and found her to be attractive, but now it was just plain annoying.

"Yeah," Edward sighed glaring at Mike out of the corner of his eye.

Lauren stifled a laugh when she noticed the threatening looks Edward was shooting at Mike. She knew how much Edward disliked Tanya, and even tried to talk Mike into telling Edward that Tanya was coming, but Mike had refused. He thought it would be amusing to see how Edward would react when he saw that Tanya was there. Needless to say, the look on his face had been priceless.

"Have you guys ordered yet?" Edward asked looking at his menu.

"Yeah, Mike couldn't wait," Lauren replied rolling her eyes. "He's such a pig, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know," Edward nodded.

"So, Mike said that you have a houseguest," Lauren commented.

Edward glanced at Mike and then looked at Lauren. "Yeah," he said. "Bella. Her parents are in Africa," he shrugged. "They work at a museum or something and got asked to go, so they moved to Africa and Bella's staying with us while they're gone."

"How old is she?" Tanya asked.

"17," Edward replied.

"Oh, how long is she staying with you?" Tanya asked.

"We're not sure," Edward shrugged. "She could be here up to a year. It all depends on when her parents come back to the states."

"Well why didn't you bring her along?" Lauren asked curiously. "She probably doesn't know anyone besides your family."

"Well, her and Jess have become buddies, and I really didn't feel like bringing both of them," Edward replied rolling his eyes. "Besides, Bella and I have never been friends."

"You don't like her?" Tanya asked with her eyes lighting up.

Edward shrugged as the waitress came to the table to take Edward's order. He silently thanked the waitress. He really didn't feel like spending his whole evening talking about Bella. Everyone in his family had been acting like her coming to stay with them was the best thing in the world, and he was already growing sick of it.

He didn't care that she was staying with his family, but he wasn't going to pretend like he was thrilled by her presence because it didn't matter to him one way or another if she was there. As far he was concerned, she was just a spoiled like brat from California.

She had always annoyed him for some reason. No matter how much he tried he couldn't really explain it. Whenever Bella had come to visit when they were younger, she had always just got on his nerves. Her parents always acted like she was the best kid in the world, and every time they would visit, they made sure to let them all know how smart she was or some great thing she had accomplished.

Then the there was the whole Jacob thing that annoyed Edward beyond words. Bella and Jacob had always been close, and whenever Bella came to visit, Jacob seemed to just shove Edward aside and acted like Bella was the only person in world. Edward hated it. He knew that it was mostly jealousy, and it wasn't entirely Bella's fault, but he still resented her because of it.

But figured that it didn't matter how he felt about it anyway. Everyone else loved Bella to death. She didn't even seem to care that he disliked her. 'Probably because she likes Jacob so much. She probably has a crush on him.' Edward thought bitterly.

"... so I really wanted this shirt. It was so adorable, but mom was completely against it because part of my stomach would show," Jessica said rolling her eyes as she and Bella walked through the mall.

Bella tried to look sympathetic and pretended like she really understood even though she hadn't heard but a few words of what she had said.

Bella's mind had been such a blur since the day she had visited the clinic. She had been trying hard to act normal, but she felt so confused. There were times when she would find herself completely zoning out without realizing it was happening.

"Oh," Jessica exclaimed. "We've gotta go into Babies R Us!"

Bella suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Jessica. "Why?" she asked. She suddenly felt like she was going to have a panic attack. Why would Jessica want to go into a baby store? She couldn't possibly know her secret, could she?

Jessica looked at Bella strangely for a moment before answering. "My best friend's mom is pregnant. Leah's so excited. She's an only child, but she's always wanted a brother or sister," Jessica explained as she grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her into Babies R Us. "I always told her that she could have Riley or Bree, but she didn't want them. I can't blame her though." Jessica laughed, but stopped when she noticed Bella's strange behavior. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Bella shook her head quickly. "Yeah ... I'm fine," Bella replied. "So, how far along is Leah's mom?"

"Almost seven months," Jessica replied. "I get to help decorate for the baby shower. It's next month. I still have to get something for the baby."

"Cool," Bella said forcing a smile.

"The doctor says she's having a boy. Leah wanted a little sister though, but I told her that it wouldn't matter anyway. Once they turn two, she'll be wishing she was an only child again."

"Why when they turn two?" Bella asked raising an eyebrow.

"Terrible twos," Jessica nodded knowingly. "They're a real bitch."

"I see," Bella nodded slowly.

Jessica wondered off looking around the store, and Bella slowly walked down the aisles. She tried to keep her eyes on the floor. She couldn't bear to look at the adorable little baby outfits hanging up - not when she had a baby growing inside of herself that she was planning to abort.

After she finally calmed down from freaking out at the clinic, Bella had sat down and thought things through. She knew she had to go back to the clinic and go through with it this time. She knew the basic procedure of things, so she was hoping that she would be able to stay calm the next time she went.

Her only problem was she didn't know when the next time she'd be able to sneak away from the Cullens again.

"Edward can you drop me at my house?" Mike asked after they had all paid for their dinner and headed outside to the parking lot.

"Sure," Edward nodded as he took his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the doors to his truck.

"See ya later, Lauren. Bye, Tanya," Edward said over his shoulder

"Bye, Edward" Tanya smiled as she opened the front passenger's door to Lauren's car.

Edward quickly climbed into the driver's seat of his car and started it up. He turned to Mike and glared. "You are so fucking lucky that there are other people around. Otherwise, I would kill you right now! Why didn't you tell me that Tanya was coming?"

Mike smirked. "It must have slipped my mind."

"You asshole," Edward muttered rolling his eyes as he backed out of his parking space and headed for Mike's house.

"Why don't you give the girl a chance? At least you could get laid," Mike commented.

"Yeah, I'd sleep with her, and then she'd think that I want to marry or her something," Edward sighed. "No thanks."

Mike simply laughed and shook his head.

"Oh, you laugh now, but just watch it! I'm gonna get you back for this!" Edward commented.

"Did you see the look on your face when Lauren mentioned Bella?" Mike laughed. "Tanya got this worried look on her face. Maybe you should hook up with Bella. You'd get Tanya off your back."

"Me and Bella?" Edward said shaking his head. "I don't think so man. I don't talk to the girl that much."

"Well, maybe you should," Mike said.

"Why's that?"

"I saw her the other day at work. She was sitting alone in the corner bawling her eyes out," Mike answered.

"She was?" Edward asked with surprise. "When?"

"Um, I think it was Tuesday," Mike replied. "I went over and asked her if she was okay."

"What did she say?" Edward asked.

"She said she was just having a bad day," Mike shrugged.

"Oh, well, I'm sure she'll be fine by the weekend," Edward commented rolling his eyes. "Jacob's coming home for the weekend. When Bella and Jess aren't attached at the hip, she's with Jacob."

"Is someone jealous?" Mike smirked.

"No, no one is jealous," Edward replied firmly as he pulled up in front of Mike's house.


	9. Chapter 9

Bella jumped when she heard a knock at the bathroom door. "Are you about done in there?" Edward asked.

Bella rolled her eyes as she continued to brush her teeth and walked over to Edward's door and opened it slightly. He opened it the rest of the way as she pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth and walked over to the sink to spit.

"I'll be done in a minute," she replied as she pulled her bag of makeup out from under the sink.

Edward rolled his eyes as he walked over to the sink and took out his toothbrush and the toothpaste.

"So, what's Jasper's fiancee like?" Bella asked curiously as she dabbed some eye shadow on her eyelids.

"She's okay," Edward shrugged as he began to brush his teeth.

"So, you like her?"

"I guess," Edward replied while brushing his teeth. "Why?"

"Just curious," Bella shrugged as she put some eyeliner on.

Jasper was coming over for dinner with the family, and he was bringing along his fiancee, Alice. Bella hadn't saw Jasper since she had arrived in Forks, but she was looking forward to seeing him and meeting his fiancee. Jasper had always been nice to her. Being the big brother of his family, he had always kept a close watch on his siblings and whenever her family had come to visit, he had always treated her like she was one of the family.

Bella finished applying her makeup just as Edward finished brushing his teeth. "Are you finished now? I need to take a shower," he commented.

"Yeah, I'm done," Bella nodded. "Do you care if I use your phone real quick?"

"Is it long distance?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I'll pay you back," Bella replied. "I promise."

"Whatever, just don't talk too long," Edward sighed.

"Thanks," Bella smiled as she went into Edward's messy room as he shut the door behind her. She had to look around for a minute before she finally located the phone. She quickly dialed Angela's phone number as she carefully sat down on his bed. She had only been able to call Angela a couple of times since she had arrived, and she was quickly growing home sick. The last time she had spoke with Angela was the day that she had gone to the abortion clinic.

She listened to the sound of the water pouring from the showerhead in the next room as she waited for someone to pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Angie?" Bella said.

"Bells! Hey, what's up?" she could tell that Angela as smiling.

"Not much," Bella replied. "I talked Edward into letting me use his phone so I could call. I can't talk long, or he'll probably throw a fit."

"Is he still being a jackass?" Angela asked.

Bella sighed. "Oh, he hasn't been too bad," she replied. "He just doesn't like me, so I stay out of his way as much as I can."

"Oh, well, he'd have to be crazy not to like you, Bells. You're just so darn loveable," Angela laughed.

"Yeah, right," Bella said rolling her eyes as she bit her nails. "Jasper's coming over for dinner tonight, and he's bringing his fiancee," she commented. "And Jacob's supposed to be coming home for the weekend too."

"I bet you're happy to hear that since you love Jacob so much," Angela said emphasizing the word 'love.'

"Oh, shut up, Angie," Bella said rolling her eyes to herself. "You make it sound like I'm in love with him or something."

"You mean you're not?" Angela gasped.

"The only way I love him is like an older brother," Bella replied.

"Mmmhmm ..."

"It is! Besides, I don't have to justify my feelings to you!" Bella replied laughing lightly.

"Well, it sounds like you're doing okay," Angela commented. "It's nice to hear you laugh!"

"Yeah, I'm trying to stay positive," Bella said dropping her voice to a whisper. "Because after this weekend, I have to go back to the abortion clinic."

"So you're really going to go through with it this time?" Angela asked.

"I don't think I have any other choice," Bella replied. "I can't tell the Cullens, and I sure as hell can't tell my parents."

"Are you sure you can't tell them?" Angela asked. "I mean, it may not be as bad as you think."

"Yeah, right, Angie," Bella sighed. "Could you even imagine my parents being happy about me being pregnant?" She didn't give her time to answer. "You know they'd freak out," Bella continued. "It would kill them. I don't want to be an embarrassment to them."

"Bells, you know where I stand on the idea of abortion," Angela replied softly. "I don't like it. I don't believe in it, but I'm you're best friend and I love you. I'll stand behind on any decision you make."

"But you think I'm making the wrong choice, don't you?" Bella asked.

"Well, I guess you have to do what you feel is right," Angela commented avoiding giving her a straight answer as Edward walked into the room.

"Hey, Angie, I've gotta go. Edward wants his room back," Bella said quickly. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay," Angela replied before Bella hung up the phone and stood up. "Thanks for letting me use the phone," she said before she walked through the bathroom and back into her room.

Edward watched as she closed the door behind her. He ran his fingers through his hair as he sat down on the bed. Had Bella actually been talking about what he thought she was talking about?

He shook his head slowly. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop. He had just finished getting dressed when he pressed his ear to the door to see if Bella was still on the phone when he had heard her say 'I have to go back to the abortion clinic.'

At first he had thought he had misunderstood what she said, but as the conversation went on, he was growing more and more certain that he had in fact heard her correctly. "She's pregnant," he whispered to himself in disbelief. Moreover, she was planning to have an abortion. Then a thought struck him.

'She said _go back_ to the abortion clinic.' He thought. That had to mean that she had already gone once. He wondered what had happened. Then it hit him. Mike had mentioned seeing her crying in at Starbucks. Mike must have seen her the day that she had gone to the clinic!

Edward shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't just confront her about it, could he? He didn't want her to know that he had been eavesdropping, but he also had to stop her from doing something that she might regret.

His only question was _how?_


	10. Chapter 10

"It's great to see you again, Bells," Jasper said as he gave her a quick hug after walking into the house. He released her from his embrace and turned to the dark haired girl at his side. "Bella, this is my fiancee, Alice. Alice, this is Bella. Her mom and my mom are best friends, and Bella's staying with my family because her parents are in Africa."

"Oh, you didn't want to go to Africa with them?" Alice asked with a grin.

Bella made a face. "No thanks," she replied with a smile.

"I don't blame you," Alice smiled as Esme walked into the front foyer.

"Hello, you two," she smiled as she gave them each a quick hug.

"Hey, mom," Jasper smiled as Esme ran her hand over the top of Jasper's head.

"I see you got a haircut," she commented.

"I had to drag him to the barber," Alice put in before turning to Bella. "I've been trying to get him to get a haircut for weeks now," she commented with a sigh.

Bella smiled as Jasper made faces at his mother and future wife before turning to Bella as well. "They're always picking on me," he said with a pout.

"Oh, quit acting like such a big baby," Alice grinned.

"Well, I'm going to go and check on the food," Esme said. "It should be ready soon."

"I'll help," Alice volunteered as she followed Esme into the kitchen.

"So, is Jake here yet?" Jasper asked Bella as they walked into the living room.

"No, not yet," she replied shaking her head as she sat down on the couch as Bree looked up from the television and saw Jasper. She jumped up and ran over and gave him a hug.

"Where's Alice?" Bree asked.

"She's in the kitchen," Jasper smiled as Bree released him from her embrace and scurried off to the kitchen.

"I take it she likes Alice," Bella commented as Jasper sat down at the opposite end of the couch.

"Oh, she loves Alice," Jasper said shaking his head. "But then again, there aren't many people that kid doesn't like," he added.

"True," Bella smiled as Edward walked into the living room.

"Hey, Jazz," he said as he sat down on the recliner across from the couch.

"What's up?" Jasper asked.

Edward shrugged. "Not much," he replied. "Working."

"Cool, when do you start school?" Jasper asked.

"Not sure, early next month," Edward shrugged. "Summer's going by way too fast."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jasper nodded. "I don't see how Jacob can stand taking summer courses. I had to take a break before I went back."

"But aren't you almost finished with college?" Bella asked.

"Yeah," Jasper nodded. "This will be my last semester. Then I'll be ready to go out into the workforce," he said making a face.

"But don't you already have a job?" Bella asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah," he nodded.

"Then you're already in the workforce," she grinned.

"Smartass," Jasper grinned rolling his eyes.

Jacob arrived a few minutes later - just as Esme was announcing that dinner was ready. Bella stood and followed everyone to the dining room. She took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of the food. She hadn't eaten all day. She has spent part of the morning throwing up in the bathroom and hoping that no one would catch her, and she was just now realizing how hungry she truly was. She just hoped that she would be able to keep the food down.

She knew morning sickness came along with the territory of being pregnant, but she had been getting sick more frequently. At first it had only been every few days, but this morning she had actually got sick twice. She hoped that this wasn't going to be an every day occurrence because it was going to be pretty tough to hide.

Bella sat down at the table at the kitchen table amongst the Cullen family. Jacob was seated to her right with Riley on the other side of him. Jessica was on Bella's left with Vicky on the other side of her. Across the table were Jasper, Alice, Edward, and Bree with Esme and Carlisle seated at each end of the table.

Bella always felt awkward when it was dinnertime at the Cullens' house. She always felt somewhat out of place when they sat down for dinner together and took each other's hand and said grace before every meal. Bella had never done anything like that with her family. Her parents usually never got home until eight o'clock at the earliest - leaving Bella to fend for herself. Most of the time she cooked her own dinner and spent her evenings doing homework and talking with friends or going out with James.

The Cullens were so different. They actually acted like a family. They knew what was going on in each other's life for the most part. Esme and Carlisle would never leave their children to fend for themselves every day and night. And Bella was certain that if Esme were her mother, she'd know about all of her boyfriends and want to know where they were going and what they were doing. Esme would most definitely know if her daughter was pregnant.

Bella looked at the end of the table and caught Esme's eye for just a second. Esme gave her a soft smile before she continued passing the food around the table. For a short moment, Bella wished that Esme were her mother. Not that Bella didn't love her mother. That wasn't the case by any means. Her mother was a great woman, and Bella knew that she loved her. She just wished that her mom were more like Esme.

"So, any luck finding a job, Bells?" Jacob asked interrupting Bella's thoughts.

"Huh?" Bella said shaking her head and glancing to her right. "No, not yet," she replied quickly as she took a bite of her mashed potatoes.

"Is Starbucks hiring, Edward?" Carlisle asked from his seat at the end of the table.

Edward took a drink of his ice tea and cleared his throat. "I'm not sure," he replied. "I can check the next time I work," he said looking across the table at Bella. "I'll let you know," he said with a half smile.

"Thanks," Bella replied with a smile, but deep down she figured that even if they were hiring Edward wouldn't want her to work there.

After dinner, everyone began to migrate his or her different way. Bella followed Jasper, Jacob, Edward, Jessica and Alice outside. The guys decided to play a game of basketball.

"Bells, you wanna play?" Jacob asked as he dribbled the ball.

"Um," Bella bit her lip. She has always been up for a game of basketball before, and she didn't want anyone to wonder why she didn't want to play, but on the other hand, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to do all that running and jumping without getting sick. 'What the hell?' she thought. She figured that things would be okay, and if she felt like she was going to be sick, she'd just tell them that she wasn't feeling so great and quit. "Sure," she smiled as she stood up and dusted off the back her shorts and walked over to the driveway to join Jacob, Edward, and Jasper.

"Okay, me and Bells against you two," Jacob said as he continued to dribble the ball.

Once the game started, Bella pushed all thoughts of pregnancy from her mind and just let loose. She had missed doing stuff like this. The last few weeks her mind had been so clouded by what to do about her pregnancy she had nearly forgotten what it was like to be a teenager.

As Bella was going to block Edward from making a basket, she tripped over his feet and flew forward and landed on her side. Edward immediately stopped in the middle of throwing the ball and hurried over to her side.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he said quickly as she sat up slowly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so," she groaned looking at her elbow, which had been scraped against the pavement and was now bleeding. "That's gross," she commented as Jacob stooped down beside them and Jasper stood behind him.

"Ouch, that had to hurt," Jacob commented with a grin.

"No shit, Sherlock," Bella grinned as she glanced down at her knee, which was also bleeding. She cringed. "I think that skirts and dresses are going to be out of the question for me for the next few weeks," she commented as she tried to get up, but Jacob pushed her back down to sit on the hot pavement.

"Just wait here, Bells," Jasper said as he called over his shoulder to Jessica. "Jess, can you run in and get the first aid kit?"

"Yeah, sure," she nodded as she started towards the house.

"Guys, really I'm okay," Bella said swatting Jacob's hand away and pushing her way up.

Edward offered his hand to her since it was obvious that she wasn't going to wait to be doctored up. She took his hand reluctantly and stood up shakily. Jasper caught her by her shoulder to steady her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jasper asked, obviously playing his big brother role and making sure she was okay.

"I'm fine," Bella snapped as she pulled away from everyone's grasp. "I'm going inside to clean up," she called over her shoulder as she walked into the house.

Bella felt like slapping everyone for overreacting over something so stupid. Hadn't they ever seen a person fall before? Bella was just glad that they didn't know she was pregnant. She couldn't even imagine how they would have been reacting if they knew. Bella shook her head as she limped up the stairs and down the hallway. She sighed as she went into her room and into the bathroom. She didn't bother to shut either door to the bathroom before she took the peroxide out of the cabinet and some cotton balls from underneath.

After dabbing some peroxide on the cotton ball, she brought it to her elbow and winced when she felt it sting her skin.

"Need some help?" she heard from the bathroom door. She glanced and saw Edward standing at the doorway.

"No, I'm fine," she said as she continued to clean her wounds.

"I'm really sorry, Bella," Edward said. "I didn't mean to knock you over."

Edward pushed his hands deep into his pockets. He felt really bad about knocking Bella over even though he knew it wasn't entirely his fault. He was just worried that she was hurt more than she was letting on. He wondered why he even let her play basketball with them. He should have refused, but he knew that people would have gotten suspicious. Bella didn't even know that he knew she was pregnant.

"I know," Bella nodded as she caught a huge whiff of the peroxide. The smell made her insides churn. She took a deep breath and hoped that she wouldn't be sick - especially not when Edward was apologizing to her.

"It was just an accident," Bella said fighting to suppress the gurgling in the pit of her stomach. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 'Please just go away, Edward.' She thought.

Edward noticed Bella's face grow pale, and she made a face.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked stepping closer to her.

She opened her eyes and shook her head quickly before rushing over to the toilet and emptying her dinner from her stomach. She tried to sit up, but she felt her stomach begin to lurch again. She felt her eyes burn as she the second wave of nausea hit her. She nearly jumped when she felt her hair being pulled back away from her face while a hand gently rubbed her back.

"Go on, get it all out," Edward said soothingly.

After Bella was sure that she was finished, she sat up slowly and flushed the toilet. Edward flipped the lid down and helped Bella get up and sit on the toilet. Edward took a small cup off of the counter and filled it with water and handed it to Bella.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Edward sat leaned against the counter and watched as Bella slowly sipped the water. Her face was flushed, and in all honesty, she looked like a she'd just been in a train wreck. When he looked down at her knee, he noticed that it had begun bleeding again from her kneeling on it on the floor.

Edward picked up the bottle of peroxide and some cotton balls and kneeled down on the floor in front of her.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he dabbed some peroxide on a cotton ball.

"I'm getting you cleaned up," he replied without looking up.

Bella bit her lip as he pressed the cotton ball to her skin. She winced because it stung, but her mind was more focused on Edward. She wondered why he was acting so strangely. She didn't know why it just now struck her as strange that he had been the first one to rush to her aid when she fell. She didn't think he cared about her, so why was he suddenly so concerned?

She watched as he stood up and took a package of band-aids out of the cabinet. After bandaging up her knee, he started in on her elbow. Bella remained quiet as he did so. She rather enjoyed seeing this side of Edward. After placing a band aid on her elbow Edward gathered up the trash and threw it in the wastebasket beside the toilet and stood up.

"There, you're all fixed up," he declared as he put away the peroxide and washed his hands.

"Thanks," Bella smiled as Jacob appeared at the bathroom door on Bella's side of the room.

"Everything okay?" he asked poking his head inside.

"Yeah," Bella nodded hoping that Edward wouldn't mention anything about her throwing up.

"Well, mom is sending dad and Vicky into town to get some ice cream," Jacob commented. "You guys want anything?"

"Um, just get me a sundae," Edward shrugged as he ran her fingers through his hair.

"Want anything, Bells?" Jacob asked turning to her.

"No, I'm fine," Bella replied.

"Suit yourself," Jacob grinned before walking away.

After Bella was sure Jacob was gone, she stood up slowly and turned to Edward. "Thanks for not mentioning anything about me being sick," she said.

"Yeah, no problem," Edward replied.

"I just don't feel like having everyone asking me if I'm okay, ya know?" she continued as she tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, I know. The family can be a little much sometimes," Edward nodded.

"Yeah, well, I think I'm going to go lay down for little while," Bella said. "But thanks again."

"Yeah, no problem," Edward smiled as she walked into her room. Edward watched after her for a moment. He still couldn't believe that she was really pregnant. He had been hoping all afternoon that he had misunderstood what she was saying to Angela on the phone, but as the day wore on, and after witnessing her throwing up a lung, he knew he hadn't misunderstood. He wondered how she could keep something like that inside. He wasn't close to Bella by any means, but he couldn't help but feel like he should do something to help her. He couldn't just let her go through this alone. He just didn't know how to help.

Edward took one last look at her figure lying on the bed before turning and exiting to the hallway through his room. He had to talk to someone ...


	11. Chapter 11

"What are you doing here?" Lauren asked rubbing her eyes as she stood at the front door.

"I need to talk to you," Edward replied as he brushed past her and into the living room.

"Yeah, come on in," Lauren said sarcastically. "I wasn't trying to get some sleep or anything."

"Ren, it's seven thirty," Edward said rolling his eyes as he walked into the living room and made himself comfortable on the couch.

"And I got up at five a.m. this morning and worked until three," Lauren snapped as she sat down on the recliner and covered herself with a blanket. "So, what's so important?"

Edward looked around anxiously for any sign of Lauren's family.

"Everyone else is at Caleb's baseball game," Lauren sighed noticing the uneasy look on his face. "So, what's up?"

Edward opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't know where to begin. How much should he tell her?

When Edward had decided that he needed to talk to someone, he figured that Lauren would be the easiest to talk to, but Edward quickly realized that no matter who he talked to about what he knew, it wasn't going to be easy. He was in a situation that he couldn't take too lightly.

"What would you do if you found out that someone was going to do something ... something that could change their whole life?" Edward blurted out.

Lauren gave him a confused look and sat up slightly. "What kind of thing are we talking about here?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

Edward closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn't want to tell Lauren what he knew - especially since Bella had no clue that he even knew.

"Okay," Edward said exhaling slowly. "I overheard a conversation today. And I found out something about someone. And they're going to do something ..."

"Something bad?" Lauren asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I mean, it's not bad to some people, but the way I was raised, it's considered bad."

"How bad?" she asked.

Edward bit his lip. "Pretty bad."

"Can't you give me some sort of hint?" Lauren asked.

"Okay, in my family ..." Edward said softly. "Well, in my family, it's considered murder."

Lauren stared at Edward blankly for a minute to let his words sink in before her eyes lit up and she gasped. "Abortion?" she whispered.

Edward simply nodded.

"Oh my god. Who?" she asked.

"I can't say," he replied.

"It's not your mom, is it?"

"Hell no!" Edward exclaimed. "My mom would never do that. I think it's more the merrier with my parents."

"Jess?" Lauren asked.

"No way! And if I find out that she's had sex, then the guy is a dead man walking!" Edward said seriously.

"Okay, down boy," Lauren said making a face. "So I'm assuming that if you're that protective of Jess, then it can't be Vicky either. And Bree ... well, she's completely out of the question ... So who does that leave?" Lauren asked talking more to herself than to Edward.

"Is it Alice?" Lauren asked.

"Lauren, I'm not going to tell you who it is," Edward interrupted.

"But, Edward! You can't lay this on me and not tell me who it is!" she whined.

"Ya know what? It was probably a bad idea for me to even come over here and mention it," Edward sighed as he started to stand.

"Edward, sit down," Lauren said sternly. "So, you're not gonna tell me who it is. Fine. Let's move on. What do you need to talk to me about?"

"I don't know what to do," Edward said shaking his head. "She doesn't know that I know. I just overheard her end of the conversation, and from the sound of things, she's already made one trip to the clinic."

"But she didn't go through with it?" Lauren asked.

"Apparently not," he shrugged. "I just ... I don't know what to say to her. I mean, I'm not even supposed to know, so how am I supposed to bring it up?"

"Well, what are you even going to say to her? I mean, what do you think talking to her about it is gonna do? Change her mind?"

"I dunno. Maybe," Edward shrugged. "I mean, I don't think she's thinking this through clearly. I mean, from the way she was talking, it seemed like she didn't really want to go through with it but she didn't have a choice. But her parents don't even know ... so how can she be so sure that abortion is the right decision?"

"Well, how far along is she? Maybe she's really close 12 weeks and has to make a decision quick," Lauren pointed out.

"I suppose that's true, but even so, shouldn't she look at her other options first. How can she be so sure that abortion is the right decision when she hasn't even considered keeping the baby or giving it up for adoption?" Edward commented as he stood and paced around the living room.

"Maybe she's too afraid to tell her parents," Lauren replied. "Maybe they'd ... like disown her or something if they found out."

Edward shook his head. "No, not her parents," he said. "They think the world of her. I don't think they could ever disown even if she committed murder." At that Edward stopped dead in his tracks. If she committed murder? Wasn't that what she was planning to do anyway? As far as he could see, it was.

"Edward," Lauren said softly as she stood up and walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "What are you thinking?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I just need to figure out something ...and fast because I have a feeling that she's going to go back to the clinic this week."

"I wish I knew what to tell you," Lauren frowned.

"Thanks for listening," Edward said forcing a smile. "I'm sure I'll think of something."

"I'm sure you will," Lauren nodded.

"Well, I better get back home," he sighed. "I kind of walked out on the family get together and didn't tell anyone where I was going."

"Uh-oh, you're going to be in trouble," Lauren grinned.

"Eh, I doubt they even noticed I was gone," he shrugged as he headed for the front door.

Bella sat up slowly and pushed her hair away from her face as she turned and let her feet touch the ground. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand and yawned as she stood up.

She walked into the bathroom and brushed her teeth and brushed her hair before she headed downstairs. As she descended the stairs, she noticed that the house seemed unusually quiet. If there was anything she had adapted to since she had arrived, it had to be the noisiness of the Cullen family. She walked over to the front door and looked out the window beside it. Jasper, Carlisle, and Edward's vehicles were both gone, so she guessed that she had missed saying goodbye to Jasper and Alice. She shrugged to herself as she walked down the hallway to the kitchen.

Esme was at the sink washing dishes and looked up just as Bella entered the room. "Hello, sweetie," she smiled warmly. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked. "Jacob mentioned that you seemed to be feeling a little under the weather."

"Oh, I'm fine. I was just tired. That's all it was," Bella said quickly as she looked around. "So where is everyone?"

"Jasper and Alice left. Carlisle went to drop Vicky off at a friend's house, and Jessica and Riley tagged along. Jacob is down in the basement with Bree. I think they're watching a movie. And I'm not quite sure where Edward wandered off to," Esme replied as the front door slammed shut. "Oh, wait, I think Edward has just arrived," she said as she yelled over her shoulder. "Edward Cullen, is that you?"

"Yeah," Edward yelled back as he kicked off his shoes and dropped his keys down on the table by the door and headed for the kitchen. He walked into the kitchen and found his mom washing dishes and Bella leaning against the counter beside her.

"And where have you been, mister?" Esme asked sternly.

"I went to Lauren's," Edward replied with a shrug.

"It would have been nice of you to tell someone," Esme commented.

"Sorry, ma," Edward sighed.

"I suppose you can be forgiven this once," Esme said giving him a wink.

"Thanks, mom," he smiled. "So, where is everyone?"

Esme repeated the rundown of everyone's whereabouts as Bella walked over to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water.

Edward watched her as she unscrewed the cap and took a sip. His eyes drifted from her face down to her stomach. He could swear from the way she was standing that it looked like her belly was swollen slightly. He looked back up and his eyes met Bella's. She gave him a questioning look, and he looked away quickly when he realized that he had been caught staring.

"I think I'm going to go see what movie Jake and Bree are watching," Bella commented before she walked over to the door to the basement and headed down the stairs.

When Bella reached the bottom of the stairs, she couldn't help but smile at what she saw. Jacob was sprawled out on the couch fast asleep with Bree stretched out beside him. They looked so precious together.

Everyone had always said that Bree was like Jacob's little sidekick, and whenever Jacob came home for the weekend, she seemed to be glued to his side. Bella smiled as she walked over to the couch and took the afghan off the back of the couch and covered Jacob and Bree's sleeping forms. Then she went over and turned off the VCR, but left the television on low before she headed back upstairs.

She stepped into the kitchen and found that it was now empty. Bella wondered down the hallway and into the living room and found Edward watching TV. He looked up as she sat down on the recliner.

"Back so soon?" he asked.

"They were both asleep and I didn't want to wake them," Bella replied.

"Ah, I see," Edward nodded as he picked up the remote and flipped through the stations.

"So, who is Lauren?" Bella asked curiously.

"She's one of my best friends," Edward replied glancing at her. "Why do you ask?"

Bella shrugged. "Just curious," she replied.

"I'll have to invite her over sometime so you two can meet," Edward commented. "I'm sure you'd like each other."

"Cool," Bella smiled. "That would be nice."

Edward nodded as he watched her play with the hem of her t-shirt. He wanted so badly to say something to her about her being pregnant - tell her that he knew, tell her that he was there for her, tell her that he would help her any way he could - but when he opened his mouth, none of the words would come.


	12. Chapter 12

Bella tossed and turned from side to side all night. She felt like her insides were all twisted up, so by the time she finally gave up on sleeping and got out of bed, she headed straight to the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach as the room seemed to spin around her.

After she was finished, she wiped her mouth and laid her head down on the cool tiles of the floor and let her heavy eyes fall shut. She felt far too weak to get up. She just wanted to lie there and sleep, but she knew she couldn't do that. If Edward came into the bathroom in the morning and found her asleep beside the toilet, he would start to ask questions. He'd already witnessed her vomiting the evening before. And she'd caught him staring at her several times since and the look in his eyes told her that he knew something was going on.

After a few more minutes of simply laying there, she gathered all of her strength and stood up. She quickly brushed her teeth before going back into her room. She switched on the lamp beside her bed and took out a pen and her journal and began to write.

Before she knew it, she'd covered nearly five pages - front and back. She was sure that most of it probably didn't make a bit of sense, but she'd poured everything she was feeling onto those lines. She sat her pen and journal down on the nightstand and rubbed her eyes and for the first time she realized that she was crying. She wiped her eyes dry before she slipped under the covers, switched off the light, and curled up into a ball and tried to get to sleep. She needed the rest. She had a long day ahead of her.

She was going back to the clinic.

Bella checked her reflection once again before she grabbed her purse off of her bed and headed downstairs. She entered the kitchen and found Esme seated at the table with a stack of bills before her.

"Morning, Esme," Bella said mustering up her best smile.

"Good morning," Esme replied glancing up. "You're up early, aren't you?"

She shrugged. "Well, I got a few hours of sleep yesterday afternoon so I wasn't that tired when I went to bed last night," she lied.

Esme nodded.

"So, what are you doing?" Bella asked trying to avert the attention from herself.

"Oh, just paying some bills before I balance the checkbook," she sighed.

"Oh," Bella nodded. "So, um, do you mind if I go out for a few hours?" Bella asked. "I wanted to go look around for a job some more," she added.

"Go right ahead," Esme smiled. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Bella smiled before she headed for the front door.

She hurried out to her car and sped away from the Cullen household. She was relieved that Jessica or Edward weren't up yet. She had been worried all night that Jessica would want to tag along with her, and she had no excuse to tell her that she couldn't, but luckily, she didn't have to come up with a reason.

She drove across town and parked a couple of blocks away from the clinic. She didn't want to risk someone seeing her car at the clinic, and even though the chances of that happening were slim, she figured that it couldn't hurt to take some extra precautions.

She locked her car before she started to walk over to the clinic. She stuck her hands in her pockets and forced herself to move her feet. Her heart was heavy. She really didn't want to go back into the clinic. The last time had been hard enough, and then on top of that she had to go and have a panic attack in front of the doctor. She hoped that they wouldn't question her about it and refuse to go through with the abortion. She had to get this done and over with. She had already noticed a slight bulge in her stomach and her pants were getting tighter, and Edward was already looking at her as if he held some suspicions about her sudden sickness.

When she turned the corner and saw the clinic across the street, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Edward rolled out of bed with a sigh and pulled his socks back up before he rubbed his eyes and he grabbed a pair of jeans off of the floor and examined them briefly before deciding that they were clean and pulling them on. He walked over to his dresser and grabbed a t-shirt off the top of the stack before pulling it over his head. He went into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face before brushing his teeth quickly and heading downstairs.

"Morning, mom," Edward said with a yawn as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed the orange juice out of the refrigerator and took a cup out of the cupboard.

"Good morning," Esme replied. "You're up early too. You just missed Bella."

Edward stopped what he was doing and turned to his mom. "Bella's up?" he asked.

"Yes, and she already left to go look for a job," Esme replied looking through the stack of bills.

"How long ago did she leave?" Edward asked trying to remain calm.

"Maybe five minutes ago," Esme shrugged and looked up at her son. "Why so many questions about Bella?"

"No reason," he said quickly and put the orange juice back into the refrigerator and hurried toward the front door. "I've gotta go," he called over his shoulder after slipping on his shoes.

"Where are you going?" Esme asked with confusion, but her only answer was the slamming of the front door.

Bella stood frozen at the sight of the protestors marching around in front of the clinic. She didn't know what to do. They were standing right in front of the door. There was no way she'd be able to get into the building without getting through them first.

She came back to reality when a man bumped into her as he was walking by and nearly knocked her over. "Watch where you're going," he called angrily over his shoulder.

Bella was in too much of a daze to answer the rude man. Instead she turned her attention back to the clinic and read some of the signs they were holding. They said things like 'abortion is murder' and 'murderers deserve to burn in hell.' She felt her eyes begin to burn with tears.

She managed to make her way over to the bench that was located directly across the street from the clinic and sat down. She pulled her knees up to her chest and began to sob softly.

What was she going to do now? She couldn't just march up to the front door with all of those protestors around. And there was a news crew there as well. She couldn't chance being caught on tape and have the Cullens see her on the evening news. There was no way. But what was she going to do now? She was already close to 12 weeks. She couldn't hold off any longer. Before long an abortion would be out of the question and then where would she be? She'd have to tell Esme and Carlisle ... and then eventually her parents. But she wasn't even sure when she would speak to her parents again.

They had called the night before after dinner while Bella and Jessica were doing the dishes. Bella's heart seemed to stop when she heard Esme call for her from the living room.

_"Your mom's on the phone," Esme said with a smile as she handed the phone over to Bella._

_Bella smiled weakly and brought the phone up to her ear. "Hello?" she said._

_"Hey, sweetie," Renee replied. Bella could tell her mother was smiling. "I miss you, baby!"_

_"I miss you too, mom," Bella replied as she walked over and leaned against the wall and let her body slide down until she reached the floor._

_"How are you doing? How are things going?" Renee asked._

_"Everything's fine, mom. It's going great here," Bella lied. Everything was far from great as far as Bella was concerned, but she wasn't about to let her mother in on that fact._

_"Well, your father and I miss you already!" Renee said._

_"I miss you too," Bella replied softly. And that was the truth. She missed her parents. She missed her friends. She missed her home. She missed sleeping in her bed. She missed it all. And most of all she missed being a normal teenager. She wished that there were some way she could go back in time and change everything. She never would have slept with James ... in fact, she never would have even gone out on that first date with him. She should have listened when everyone told her that he was bad news. But it was too late now._

_"Bella? Bella, are you still there?" Renee asked worriedly._

_"Yeah, I'm here," Bella replied quickly as she snapped back to reality._

_"Well, like I was saying, I'm not sure when we'll have a chance to call again," Renee continued. "We're scheduled to only come into town once a month because we have to travel quite a ways. It's about a days drive to and from the village we're staying at._

_"There's no phones in the village?" Bella asked curiously._

_"Nope," Renee replied. "It's quite primitive."_

_"Sounds ... interesting ..." Bella said slowly._

_"Oh, I'm sure you'd love it here," Renee laughed._

_Bella rolled her eyes slightly. "Oh, yeah. You know it," she said with a hint of a smile playing on her lips._

_"Well, sweetie, I hate to cut this short, but there's other people waiting to use the phone, so I'll talk to you in about a month, okay?" Renee said._

_"Okay," Bella agreed._

_"I love you, Bella. Be good," Renee said._

_"I will," Bella said faintly. "I love you too."_

Bella wiped her eyes and sniffled as she tried to compose herself. She was sure that people would wonder what on earth was going on when they saw her sobbing on a bench across the street from an abortion clinic surrounded by protesters. Well, maybe it wouldn't be so hard for them to figure out, she decided. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She stared down at her hands for a long time until she felt the presence of someone standing over her. She looked up and her breath caught her in her throat when she saw Edward staring down at her.


	13. Chapter 13

Neither of them spoke at first. They simply stared at one another with their eyes locked for a few moments before Bella finally broke the stare and looked back down at her hands. "You know, don't you?" she whispered so softly that Edward almost didn't hear her.

He sunk down onto the bench beside her and took a deep breath before he answered. "Yeah, I know."

"How'd you find out?" she asked after a long pause.

"I accidentally overheard you talking on the phone ..." Edward replied.

"You were eavesdropping on me?" Bella exclaimed as she lifted her head and stared at him with a look of rage.

"No! I was not!" Edward replied firmly. "I was trying to see if you were still on the phone and wound up hearing more than I needed to know," he explained.

"So what are you doing here?" Bella asked. "Going to try to talk me out of it? Tell me that I'm a murderer? That it's a sin to have an abortion? That I'm going to go to hell if I go through with it?" she asked.

"No," Edward replied shaking his head.

"Then what are you doing here?" Bella asked again.

"Well, even though I don't agree with what you're planning to do, I don't think you should have to go through with it alone," Edward replied taking her hand into his own and giving it a gentle squeeze. "So, if this is what you really want to do, then I'll go with you."

Bella was silent for a long time. She didn't know what to do or say. Part of her was outraged that Edward had overheard her conversation with Isabel, but the other part of her was relieved that he knew. She was no longer alone in this.

But his words seemed to echo in her mind. '_If this is what you really want to do._' Was this what she really wanted to do? She'd been asking herself the same thing all along. She knew that abortion was the easiest way to go. No one else would ever have to know. She would never have to tell her parents and see the disappointment in their eyes. But this wasn't about doing what was the easiest. This was about doing what was right. But right for who? What was right for Bella wasn't necessarily right for the child she was carrying.

She sighed and looked up at Edward. "I don't know what I really want," she confessed as tears stung her eyes.

Edward's heart ached as he watched the tears begin to slide down her cheeks. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a hug.

"Why don't we get out of here? Away from all these protestors and we can talk through this," Edward suggested.

She simply nodded and stood up. "My car's a few blocks away," she commented.

"Why don't we take my car and I'll bring you back to get yours later?" Edward said. "I don't think you're in the right frame of mind to be driving right now anyway."

Bella hated to admit it, but Edward was right. She simply nodded and let him take her hand and guide her over to his truck.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked a few minutes later as they sped down the road.

"I'm not really sure," Edward confessed.

Bella nodded and looked out the window as the scenery passed them by.

"So, where's the father?" Edward asked softly.

"Back in California," Bella replied.

"Does he know?"

"Yeah ... he knows ..." she sighed.

"And?"

"And he accused me of sleeping around and called me every name you could think of and then some ... so in short, he doesn't want to have anything to do with me," Bella replied. "Or the baby, obviously."

"Bastard," Edward muttered.

"Yeah," Bella sighed.

"So, why do you want to have an abortion?" Edward asked.

Bella glanced at him. "I don't _want_ to have an abortion," she said. "But I don't _want_ to be pregnant either ... I just don't know what to do, Edward. I mean, what will my parents think? What will your parents think? I'm not fit to have a baby. I'm only 17."

"What about adoption?" Edward asked. "I mean, I know you don't want to tell your parents, but they love you, Bella. I've heard them talk about you. You mean the world to them, so no matter what mistakes you make, they're always going to love you. And the same goes with my parents. They think of you as another daughter. They adore you."

"I just ... I know adoption sounds like the best idea," Bella began. "I've been thinking about this nonstop ... I just ... how can I go to school and let everyone see me pregnant? It's bad enough I have to go to a different school this year, but to start a new school as the pregnant girl? What are people going to say about me?"

"Bella, it doesn't matter what people think of you. They don't know you," Edward said. "So, let them think whatever the hell they want. You have to do what's right, not what makes you feel the most comfortable or what's convenient for you to save face."

Bella sighed. "I know," she nodded. "I know. You're right. But that is so much easier said than done. I don't know how I'm going to do this. How am I ever going to tell your parents? My parents?"

Edward reached over and took her hand in his. "I'll help you," he said. "I promise."

Bella's eyes flooded with tears once again and she turned back toward the window. "Thank you," she whispered.

"I'll meet you back at home, okay?" Edward said as he parked behind Bella's car.

She nodded as she opened the door to Edward's truck. "Thanks again ... for everything," she said.

"No problem," he smiled.

"I don't know when I'm going to tell your parents," she commented.

"Don't worry about it right now," Edward said. "I think you just need to take a few days and breath. This has been a long day so far and it's only noon," he said.

Bella smiled a little. "I'll see you at home," she said as she hopped out of the truck and went over to her car.

Edward watched as she pulled away from the curb and waited a moment before he followed. It had been a long morning. He really didn't know what he thought he was going to do when he got to the clinic. He just knew that he had to be there.

He had been relieved when he saw Bella sitting there on the bench. Then he noticed the protestors and knew why she wasn't in the building already. He had meant it when he told her that he'd go with her into the clinic and be there for her, but he really hoped that it wouldn't come to that. First off all, he didn't believe in what she was considering. Second of all, he wasn't at all thrilled with the prospect of braving all of those angry protestors. Luckily, it hadn't come to that. He was actually relieved at how easy it had been to talk Bella out of going through with the abortion, but his instincts had told him all along that that wasn't what she really wanted to do anyway. He figured that she probably just needed someone to the there for her through all of this - to stand by her and hold her hand and help her through all of the rough parts - and now there was no turning back. He would have to be the one to help her brave this situation head-on.

When Edward pulled into the driveway behind Bella and stepped out of the truck, he took a deep breath before he followed her up to the front door.

"You okay?" he asked as he put his hand on the doorknob and prepared to open it.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded forcing a smile. "Thanks."

"Don't worry. Everything is going to be okay," Edward promised before he turned the doorknob and stepped into the house. He was preparing to go upstairs to his room when he heard his mother yell from the kitchen.

"Edward Anthony Cullen! If that's you, I suggest you march your butt in here!"

Edward cringed and glanced at Bella who smiled weakly at him before he walked down the hallway to the kitchen. He stepped into the room with a guilty expression. "Yeah, mom?" he said.

"The next time you decide to run off like a maniac, I'd appreciate an explanation rather than a door slamming as a response," she scowled.

"Sorry, mom," Edward said looking at the floor.

"Care to explain why you ran off like that this morning?" Esme inquired.

"Um ... I forgot that there was something I was supposed to do ..." Edward trailed.

Esme eyed him carefully. She could tell that he was lying, but he didn't appear to be in any trouble, so she decided to let it slide ... for now.

"Did I hear Bella pull up too?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Well, you can tell her and the others that lunch is about ready if they're hungry. Then you can come back down here and set the table," she commented. "And I'll let you have the honor of doing the dishes as well."

"Thanks," Edward muttered. 'I do a good deed and save a life and end up getting punished. This is just great.' He thought sarcastically as he turned and headed upstairs. .


	14. Chapter 14

"So, yeah, Sara complained the whole night and when it was time to close, she bitched and moaned about having a migraine, so finally Jan just sent her home," Mike concluded with a roll of his eyes.

Edward shook his head and laughed. "I don't know why Jan doesn't just fire her," he commented. "She doesn't do jack when she's there, and anything she does do, she fucks up and someone else has to redo it."

"I know," Mike agreed as Bella walked into the kitchen where he and Edward were snacking on the cookies Esme had made that afternoon. "Hey, Bella," Mike smiled.

"Hi," Bella replied as she walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a coke for Jessica and a bottle of water for herself.

"So, did you ever find a job, Bella?" Mike asked curiously as Bella sat the drinks on the counter and went over to the pantry to look for some food to snack on.

"No, not yet," Bella replied as she grabbed a box of Cheez-its. "Hey, Edward, these don't belong to anyone specific, do they?" she asked.

Edward shrugged. "I don't think so."

Mike laughed. "Since when did people start claiming food around here?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I got bitched out over a box of Crunch-n-Munch," Edward replied.

"Are you furreal?" Mike laughed.

"Yeah, Vick was pissed that I ate it," he explained. "She said that is was her Crunch-n-Munch and that she was saving it for a snack after ballet practice. Dude, I tell ya, that little girl can be pretty damn intimidating when it comes to _her_ food."

Bella nodded her head in agreement after bearing witness to the event. "It was pretty ugly," she commented as she collected hers and Jessica's snacks and prepared to head upstairs to her room.

"Why don't you hang with me and Edward for a while, Bells?" Mike asked.

Bella turned to them. Edward gave Mike a funny look as Mike smiled at Bella.

"Uh, I would, but I promised Jess that I would watch a movie with her," Bella replied. "Maybe later."

"Sure," Mike smiled before Bella headed upstairs. Bella found Jessica sprawled out on her bed reading over a magazine.

"Took you long enough!" Jessica exclaimed as Bella handed her her drink and sat down on the bed.

"Sorry, I was talking to Mike and Edward," Bella replied.

"Mike's here?" Jessica shrieked as she bolted upright.

"Yeah," Bella nodded with a laugh.

"Damn, I wish I would have gone down with you to get the food," she muttered.

"Jess, you're so silly," Bella commented as she shook her head.

"I know, but cute guys make me that way," Jessica giggled.

Bella rolled her eyes. "You better watch out. Those cute guys are the ones that always cause trouble," she warned.

"Now you sound like mom," Jessica said as she rolled her eyes and laid on her stomach.

Bella shrugged. "So, are we going to watch this movie or what?"

Since her conversation with Edward, Bella had seemed to be riding an emotional roller coaster. While she felt a little better knowing that Edward knew her secret and that he was there for her, she was still worried. She didn't know how or when she was going to tell Esme and Carlisle. She knew that she was going to end up telling them before her own parents, but that was only due to the fact that her parents wouldn't be calling for another month. While Edward had assured her that everything would be okay, she was still very nervous about breaking the news to his parents.

She had also spoke to Angela on the phone, who had voiced her relief when Bella told her that she wasn't going to have an abortion. She had also reassured her that everything would be okay. Bella just wished that she could believe that as well.

Bella settled into a comfortable position on the bed as the movie began to play. She glanced as Jessica and couldn't help but envy her. Her biggest worry was getting her brother's best friend to notice her. What Bella wouldn't give to go back to the days when she just had a simple crush on some random guy.

Bella tried to push those thoughts away and enjoy the movie. She had been trying her damnedest to act like her normal self, but every day it seemed to be getting increasingly harder. She was emotionally drained, and she was afraid that people were beginning to notice.

"Isn't Ryan Phillippe great?" Jessica commented as she looked away from the television screen and over her shoulder at Bella. "I love the way he starts out as this complete jerk that only cares about himself, but then he meets Reese and she changes him."

"Yeah," Bella nodded as she forced a smile. 'Too bad that kind of thing doesn't happen in real life.' Bella thought. 'Although I wouldn't mind James getting hit by a car and dying.' She thought bitterly. She had tried not to think about James, but she couldn't help it at times. Sometimes her mind would just drift back to him. She couldn't believe she had thought that he really loved her. 'I should have known better than to believe a word that bastard said.' She thought rolling her eyes at herself.

Bella sighed. She couldn't even concentrate on the rest of the movie, and that was really saying something since Cruel Intentions happened to be her favorite movie. Bella stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Jessica asked with a frown.

"I'm going to go get some of those cookies your mom made," Bella replied.

"Want me to pause the movie?" Jessica asked.

"Nah, I've seen it a billion times," Bella replied. "I'll be right back. You want some cookies too?"

"Sure," Jessica shrugged before she turned her attention back to the movie.

Bella took her time walking downstairs. It wasn't that she didn't want to be around Jessica. She just didn't want to be around people in general. She felt like such a fraud for lying to all of these people that cared about her. As she walked past the living room, she noticed that Edward and Mike had migrated from the kitchen. She sighed in relief. She wouldn't have to dodge another invitation to hang out with them.

She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of napkins and began to pile on the cookies. She inhaled their rich scent and couldn't resist the urge to shove a cookie into her mouth. She really hadn't been eating many sweets or much of anything else for the matter. Crackers were about as much as she could handle at times without ending up making a beeline for the bathroom, but at the moment a big pile of cookies sounded very inviting. 'No better way to drown your sorrows than with food.' She reasoned as she chewed up the last of her cookie and picked up the pile she had collected and turned to go back upstairs only to find Mike standing at the doorway.

"Back for more food already?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," Bella shrugged.

"Well, I don't want to interrupt yours and Jess' girl time or whatever, but I wanted to ask you something," Mike began.

Bella raised an eyebrow. "What did you want to ask me?" she replied naively.

"Well, I was wondering ... if maybe you'd like to go out sometime," he asked.

Bella stared at him blankly for a moment. "You mean like a date?" she choked.

"Yeah," he nodded with a smile. Bella hated to admit it, but Jessica was right - he did have a gorgeous smile.

"Um ..." Bella was a loss of words. She wanted to scream at him and tell him that he couldn't like her. "I'm sorry ...you seem like a great guy ... you really do ... but I'm not really interested in dating anyone right now," Bella finally managed.

Mike frowned a little before he gave her a bit of a nod. "Okay," he replied slowly. "I'll just get out of your way then." And with that he turned and left the room.

"No! No! No!" Bella groaned as she leaned against the counter and closed her eyes. This couldn't be happening. Mike wasn't supposed to like her. He was supposed to like Jessica! Bella wanted to scream. How was she ever going to break it to Jess that the guy she liked had just asked her out on a date?


	15. Chapter 15

Bella finished brushing her teeth and glanced at Edward out of the corner of her eye as he continued to brush his teeth as she grabbed her brush off of the counter.

"I've been thinking," Edward commented as he spit into the sink.

"About?" Bella asked as she brushed through the tangles of her wet hair.

"You," he replied as he rolled his eyes.

"What about me?" Bella asked with a sigh.

"I know you don't want to tell mom and dad about being ... ya know, pregnant, just yet, but I think that you should probably try to get in to see a doctor soon," he explained.

Bella rolled her eyes. She wasn't thrilled at the prospect of visiting another doctor's office. She hadn't been ever since her panic attack at the clinic.

"Don't roll your eyes at me," Edward said. "You're going to have to go see a doctor eventually - whether it's after you tell my parents or before, but you need to go. When mom was pregnant, she had to take vitamins and stuff that the doctor subscribed ... they're supposed to help develop the baby's brain and all that good stuff."

Bella looked down at the floor. "Do you know which doctor she went to?" she asked softly.

"Evans, I think," Edward replied.

"I don't like doctors," she said with a pout. "I had a panic attack at the clinic ... that's why I didn't go through with it the first time I went," Bella explained.

Edward frowned. "Do you want me to go with you?" he asked.

"Really? Would you?" Bella asked as she looked up at him hopefully.

"Sure," he nodded.

"Thank you," she said with a weak smile. "So ... I guess I should try to make an appointment sometime this week then?"

"Yeah, probably," Edward nodded. "But when you make the appointment, make sure you give them your cell phone number."

"Why?"

"Because they usually call the day before to confirm the appointment," Edward explained. "So unless you want mom and dad or someone else around here to find out over the phone, then you better not let them call here."

"Oh, good point," Bella nodded.

Mike sulked as he followed Lauren into Starbucks. "I don't know why, but I always seem to end up hanging out at this place on my days off," Mike commented as he followed Lauren up to the counter where Edward was taking someone's order.

"That's because you love working here so much," Lauren smirked.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it," Mike drawled as the woman in front of them in line stepped over to the side.

"Hey, Edward," Lauren said as she watched him move around behind the counter to fix the woman's order.

"Hey, Lauren. Hey, Mike," Edward said over his shoulder. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Lauren was having a mocha craving," Mike rolled his eyes.

"And he just followed me here like a lost little puppy," Lauren grinned as she poked Mike in the stomach.

He swatted at her hand and glared at her. "I did not follow you like a lost puppy," Mike said.

"Right," Lauren rolled her eyes. "So, how long are you working, Edward?"

"Until five," he replied as she handed the woman her drink. "Have a nice day," he said with a smile. "But I have a break coming up in a few minutes."

"Okay, well, make me my mocha and we'll go wait for you to go on break," Lauren grinned.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied.

After Lauren had her drink, she and Mike went to sit at a table. Mike tapped his hands on the table out of boredom and Lauren kicked him in the leg under the table. "Would you stop that?"

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"What's up with you?" Lauren asked. "You've been pouting around and acting like an ass all day."

"I'm wallowing in the sorrow of being rejected," he replied.

"And who rejected you?" Lauren raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Bella," Mike frowned.

"The girl staying with Edward's family?" Lauren asked. She had yet to meet Bella.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Said she wasn't interested in dating anyone right now." He rolled his eyes and laid his head down on the table.

Lauren shook her head and suppressed a smile. If Mike had been a girl, he would have been the perfect drama queen. "So, what did Edward say about her shooting you down?" Lauren asked.

"He doesn't know," Mike sighed. "And don't you tell him either!" he warned. "I don't want to hear his teasing."

"And he likes to hear you tease him about Tanya?" Lauren laughed.

"That's different," Mike said.

"Right," Lauren drawled as Edward walked over to the table and sat down in the chair across from Lauren.

"So, what's up, guys?" he asked.

Bella and Jessica were in the kitchen helping Esme cook dinner when Edward came into the house later that evening followed by a girl that Bella had never seen before.

"Hello, Lauren," Esme smiled.

"Hi, Esme," Lauren replied as she sat her purse down on the table.

"Mom, I hope you don't mind, but I invited Lauren over for dinner," Edward commented.

"That's fine," Esme nodded with a smile. "As long as she doesn't eat everything in sight like Mike."

Lauren laughed. "No, I think I could eat a fourth of what he eats in one meal," she commented.

"You're lucky because I invited Mike over too, but he had plans tonight," Edward commented.

"Well, I guess this is my lucky day," Esme smiled. "So, Edward, have Lauren and Bella met before?" she asked.

"Oh, no, they haven't," Edward replied as he shook his head and looked at both of the girls. "Lauren, this Bella. Bells, this is Lauren."

"Nice to meet you," Lauren smiled.

"You too," Bella replied with a smile as she looked up from the lettuce she was chopping up for the salad they were having for dinner.

"So, can I help with anything?" Lauren asked as she rolled up her sleeves.

"Well, I suppose you could make some more iced tea," Esme said as she stirred the spaghetti sauce.

"Okay," Lauren smiled as she headed over to the cabinet to collect the items she needed.

"I'm going to go take a shower," Edward commented and he disappeared from the room before anyone could reply.

"He was just afraid we might ask him to help do something," Jessica commented with a giggle.

"Since Bella, Jess, and Lauren helped with dinner tonight, I think you guys can handle the dishes," Esme said to Carlisle, Edward, and Vicky.

"Aw, man. Do I hafta, Mom?" Carlisle grinned.

Esme laughed at her husband and nodded. "Yes, you do."

"Darn," he smiled as he stood up and looked from Edward to Vicky. "I guess we better get this over with."

"Let's go upstairs," Jessica said to Bella and Lauren as Edward and Vicky reluctantly followed their father into the kitchen.

Bella stood up slowly. She realized that she had eaten entirely too much and would more than likely be suffering from the repercussions of her actions all night, but she tried to cover it with a smile as she followed Jessica and Lauren upstairs.

"Is it okay if we hang out in your room, Bells?" Jessica asked. "Bree was playing in my room earlier and she's got her junk spread out all over the place."

"Yeah, my room is fine," Bella nodded.

"So, Bella, what grade will you be in?" Lauren asked as they went into her room and Lauren plopped down on the bed.

"Eleventh," Bella replied as she sat down carefully on the bed.

"Cool, I'll be in the twelfth," Lauren said. "Only one more year! Then I'll be home free."

"Are you going to college?" Bella asked curiously.

"I'm not sure yet," she shrugged. "My parents want me to, but, naturally, I don't always do what they want."

Bella smiled and nodded. "Of course."

"But I think I'll probably end up going," Lauren shrugged. "My brother seems to like it."

"Jake loves it," Jessica commented. "But I think that has more to do with all the parties he goes to rather than his academics."

"You're probably right," Lauren laughed.

"And not to mention, mom cooks whatever he wants when he comes home for the weekend and does all of his laundry for him," Jessica added. "He loves it."

"I bet," Lauren said as she rolled her eyes and fell back on the bed.

Bella tried to act interested in the conversation, but she could feel her dinner beginning to rise up into her throat. She held her breath and swallowed hard to keep from throwing up.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Lauren asked with concern.

"Yeah," Bella nodded quickly and gave her a sorry excuse for a smile. "I think I ate too much."

"Ate too much?" Jessica exclaimed. "Bella, you've been eating like a bird ever since you got here!"

Bella blushed and tried to come up with an excuse for her lack of an appetite but couldn't think of anything that sounded reasonable, so she just shut her mouth and remained quiet. Lauren looked over her for a minute before she finally said, "So, Mike said that he asked you out on a date, but you turned him down."

Bella suddenly felt frozen. Jessica frowned as all the color seemed to drain from her face. "Mike asked you out?" she asked softly.

Bella looked at Jessica pleadingly. This was definitely not the way she wanted Jessica to find out about this. "Yeah ...he did," she finally managed as she glanced in Lauren's direction. Bella wanted to be mad at her for bringing it up, but how was she to know that it would upset Jessica? Bella looked at back at Jessica who looked like she could cry. "But I'm not interested in him ... at all."

"I'll be right back," Jessica said quickly before she stood up and fled from the room.

Bella closed her eyes. She too wanted to cry. She suddenly felt sick again. This time she couldn't hold it down and jumped up off of the bed and hurried to the bathroom to leave Lauren sitting alone and confused on Bella's bed.


	16. Chapter 16

Edward peeked into Bella's room to find Lauren sitting alone in the room.

"Where are Jess and Bells?" Edward asked as she stepped into the room.

"Well ... Jess just hurried out of the room and Bella's in the bathroom throwing up her dinner," Lauren replied as she sat up and looked at Edward.

Edward frowned. "What happened?" he asked.

Lauren shrugged as she stood up. "Let's go downstairs," she said quietly.

"Okay," he nodded as he followed Lauren. He stopped briefly at the door and looked toward the bathroom and wondered briefly if he should check on Bella, but he decided against it. He figured that she had eaten something that didn't agree with her.

"So, why did Jessica run out of the room?" Edward asked once they were alone in the kitchen.

"I have no idea," Lauren replied. "I was just asking Bella why she turned Mike down when he asked her out on a date."

"Mike asked Bella out on a date?" Edward asked with surprise. "When did this happen?"

"The other night when he was here, and don't you dare tell him that I told you!" Lauren replied.

Edward shot Lauren an evil grin. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it."

"I mean it!" Lauren said as she slapped him playfully on the arm. "He'd kill me if he knew I told you."

"Oh, fine, I won't say a thing," Edward sighed. "So, what did Bella say?"

"That she wasn't interested in seeing anyone right now," Lauren replied. "But I think there's more to it than that."

"Like what?" Edward asked.

Lauren gave him a knowing look. "She's the one you were talking about that day, isn't she? She's the one that's pregnant."

Edward just stared at Lauren for a moment. He didn't know quite what to say. He had promised Bella not to tell anyone until after she told his parents.

"And how did you come to this conclusion?" Edward asked.

"Well, Edward, it doesn't take a genius to figure out," Lauren rolled her eyes. "First of all, she's the only other female in this house that could be pregnant. And then there's the throwing up..."

Bella stood up slowly and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she walked over to the sink to brush her teeth. It was already bad enough that she felt like crap, but then Lauren just had to go and mention Mike asking her out - in front of Jessica.

Bella knew that Jess was going to be upset when she found out. She had just hoped that she would be able to let her down easy. This wasn't at all what she had in mind. Bella just hoped that Jessica believed that she wasn't interested in him.

After she brushed her teeth and splashed some water on her face, Bella walked back out into the room. She expected Lauren to still be there, but she was surprised to find the room empty. Bella shrugged ad let out a soft sigh as she walked out of her room and down the hall to Jessica's room. She wanted to get things straightened out as soon as possible.

She knocked on Jessica's door. "Jess, it's Bella. Can we talk?" she said.

"Go away! I don't want to talk to you!" Jessica replied. Bella thought Jessica sounded like she was crying. Bella frowned and decided to give Jessica some space. She knew all too well how it felt to find out that a guy she liked was into someone else.

She decided to go see where Lauren had gotten off to for now. She checked Edward's room and found it empty, so she decided to check downstairs. She couldn't even imagine what Lauren was thinking right about now. Between Jessica running off like a wounded animal and her hurrying to the bathroom, Lauren was probably more than confused.

'You sure do know how to make a first impression.' Bella thought as she walked down the hallway toward the kitchen.

She stopped outside the door when she heard Edward and Lauren's voices.

"Okay, so it's Bella," Edward sighed.

"So, what happened? Have you talked to her?" Lauren asked.

"Yeah ..." Edward nodded. "I woke up one morning and mom said that I had just missed Bella, and it was still pretty early. She had told mom that she was going to look for a job, but I had a sneaking suspicion that she was going back to the clinic, so I followed her. I found her sitting on a park bench. She was pretty upset. There were a bunch of protestors in front of the clinic, and she didn't know what she was going to do. And she knew that I knew she was pregnant, so we talked for a while and went for a drive. We talked through things, and I convinced her that she had other options."

"So, she's not going to have an abortion?" Lauren asked.

"No," Edward replied.

"That's good," Lauren sighed. "So, when is she going to tell her parents? Or your parents for the matter?"

"I don't know yet," Edward replied. "She really nervous about it. I told her to take a little time and get herself together and figure out how she wants to tell them, and I told her that I'd go with her to tell them."

"What about the father?" Lauren asked. "Where's he? Does he know?"

"He's back in California. She said he pretty much went on the defensive when she told him. Did the whole accusing her of sleeping around thing," Edward rolled his eyes.

"What a jerk," Lauren commented.

"No kidding," Edward nodded.

Bella stood frozen outside the door. She couldn't believe what she was hearing! Edward was telling Lauren all about her. 'How could he?!' she wondered as she felt the anger boiling up inside of her.

She felt tears burn her eyes. She couldn't believe he had betrayed her like this. He was supposed to her friend! She had trusted him to keep her secret.

She tried to hold back the tears as she turned around and hurried back upstairs to her room. She passed Esme on the way upstairs.

"Bella, is everything alright?" Esme asked with concern as Bella brushed past.

"I'm fine ..." she muttered keeping her head down as she dashed down the hall to her bedroom.

Esme Cullen knew that there was something going on just under her nose, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Something had gone awry, but she wasn't quite sure what it was.

That morning at breakfast Jessica had been visibly upset and spoke to no one unless she was spoken to directly. Bella was much the same way, keeping her head down to avoid making any eye contact as she ate. Edward had tried several times to catch Bella's eye, but she kept turning her head the other way.

Esme had always been careful not to pry too far into her children's personal lives, but with this much disarray circulating under one roof, she knew she had to get to the bottom of this.

"Jessica, would you like to help me with lunch?" Esme asked stopping at the entrance to the living room.

Jessica shrugged glumly and stood up. "Sure," she sighed as she followed her mother into the kitchen.

They were silent for much of the time. Esme thought that given the chance, Jessica might open up about what was wrong and perhaps have some insight on what was going on with Bella and Edward.

"So, want to tell me what's bothering you?" Esme finally asked as she fried the chicken for lunch.

"Nothing's bothering me," Jessica replied none too convincingly.

"Oh, is that right?" Esme asked raising an eyebrow. "Because you seem awfully moody ad quiet for someone that doesn't have something on their mind."

Jessica turned slightly and glanced at her mother. "It's nothing," she sighed.

"Well, then tell me about it," Esme replied. "I have time to listen."

Jessica shrugged. "I just ... I liked this guy, and it turns out that he likes someone else," she explained. "That's all."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jess," Esme frowned as she put her arm around Jessica's shoulder and pulled her into a slight hug. "Who was the guy? Anyone I know?"

Jessica blushed and pulled out of her mother's grasp and walked over to other side of the kitchen. "I don't really want to talk about it, okay?"

Esme nodded. "Okay, fair enough," she replied. "So, do you have any insight into why Bella isn't speaking to your brother?"

Jessica shrugged. "I haven't the faintest idea," she answered coldly.

"Something happen with you and Bella?" Esme asked. "You two seemed to be getting along pretty well."

"Yeah, well ..." Jessica trailed off.

"Jessica," Esme said firmly. "Did you two have a disagreement or something?"

"No," Jessica sighed. "But Bella was the other girl."

"That the boy you liked likes?" Esme inquired.

"Yeah," Jessica nodded as she looked away.

"Does Bella like him?" Esme asked.

"She says she doesn't."

"But you don't believe her?" Esme asked.

Jessica shrugged again. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "I was just upset. I didn't feel like talking to her ... he asked her out and she didn't tell me ..."

"Ah, now we're getting down to the heart of it," Esme commented. "Did she know that you liked him?"

"Yeah," Jessica nodded.

"Well, maybe she wanted to wait until the right time to tell you that he asked her out," Esme suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," Jessica agreed as Vicky entered the kitchen.

"Is lunch about ready?" she asked.

"Just about," Esme replied. "Why don't you go let everyone know?"

Vicky made a face before she turned and left the kitchen. Esme waited until Vicky was gone before she turned back to Jessica, who was now setting the table. "Maybe you should just hear Bella out," she suggested. "I'm sure she wouldn't intentionally hurt you."

Jessica sighed and nodded.

Bella stared out her window at the blue sky. She could see Bree and Riley in the background. She smiled as she watched Riley push Bree on the swing. She always wished that she had had a big brother or even a sister to that kind of thing with. She envied the Cullens in so many ways.

There was only one member of the Cullen family that she was not happy with. She was still absolutely angry that Edward had betrayed her trust and told Lauren that she was pregnant.

She wasn't as upset by the fact that Lauren knew she was pregnant as she was the fact that Lauren knew that she had been thinking about having an abortion. How could Edward tell her something like that? What would Lauren think of her now?

Bella sighed as she leaned her head forward and rested it against the glass. 'What am I going to do?' she wondered.

She knew she had to tell Esme and Carlisle soon. That morning while she was getting dressed she had caught a sideways glance of herself in the mirror and noticed that her belly was getting visibly rounder. She had been wearing larger t-shirts lately, but she knew that she could only hide her pregnancy for so long. And besides that, she needed to see a doctor. The last thing she wanted was to go through with a pregnancy and end up having complications from her lack of medical attention.

She jumped when she heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she called as she turned to see Vicky poke her head into the room.

"Lunch is about ready," she announced.

"Okay, I'll be down in a few," Bella smiled.

Vicky nodded and shut the door as she left the room.

Bella sat down on her bed laid back and stared up at the ceiling with a frown. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but she ran her hand over her newly rounded belly and sighed. She had someone else to look out for now, so she knew she had to eat.

She was pulled from her thoughts once again when there was another knock at the door.

"Come in," she called sitting up slightly to see if was. Bella watched silently as Edward stepped into the room. "What do you want?" she asked coldly.

"I wanted to talk," he replied.

"So talk," Bella replied turning away from him.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"Why should I?" Bella asked.

"Bella, why are you pissed off at me?" Edward asked as he walked around the room until she was facing him.

"Oh, I don't know," Bella said sarcastically. "Maybe because you can't keep a secret!"

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked with a look of pure confusion.

"I heard you talking to Lauren," Bella spat. "I know you told her about me. I thought I could trust you not to tell, but, apparently, I was wrong. You'll have change. You'll always be a jerk," Bella exclaimed as she stood up and headed for the door.

"Bella!" Edward called after her.

"It's time for lunch," Bella said as she glared at him over her shoulder. "And I'm eating for two now, so I don't have time for this."


	17. Chapter 17

Lunch was even more awkward than breakfast had been. Jessica's mood seemed to have brightened a little after talking with Esme, but Bella and Edward were in the foulest of moods, and even Riley and Bree could feel the tension radiating throughout the room causing them to be unusually quiet.

"So, Edward, do you have to work tonight?" Esme asked after clearing her throat.

"Yeah," he muttered as he threw down his fork and scooted his chair back. "Actually, I should be getting ready right now."

Esme looked from Edward to Bella wearily. She really wanted to know what was going on between the two. They had been getting along so well recently, but it seemed like overnight they had returned to being mortal enemies.

As he retreated from the room, Jessica stood and stretched before she gathered her dishes and took them to the kitchen before she walked back through the dining room and headed upstairs. Bella glanced briefly at Jessica's retreating figure before she too stood. Esme eyed her curiously. She couldn't quite pinpoint it, but she could tell that something was different about Bella. But before Esme could inspect her any further, Bella quickly took her dishes to the kitchen and fled toward the staircase without a word.

Esme sighed as she wiped her hands with a napkin and stood up. "Vicky, can you do the dishes, sweetie?" Esme asked.

Vicky made a face and nodded as her mother walked toward the living room, but changed her mind and headed up the stairs as well.

Bella hurried upstairs. She wanted to talk to Jessica as soon as possible. She realized that Jessica was very upset about Mike, but Bella hoped that she could convince her that she truly wasn't interested in seeing him.

Bella walked over to Jessica's door and knocked lightly.

"Who is it?" she heard from inside.

"It's Bella," she replied.

"Go away," Jessica spat.

"Jess, please, I really need to talk to you," Bella said as she turned the knob slowly. Luckily, the door wasn't locked and Bella stepped into the room cautiously. Jessica was stretched out across her bed, but she sat up when she saw the door open.

"Fine," Jessica sighed as she stared down at her hands. "Talk."

"Jess, I know you're upset about Mike," Bella began as she shut the door behind her and walked over to the bed and sat down at the end. "And I'm sorry that you had to find out from Lauren. I really was planning to tell you, but I was trying to find the right time because I knew you'd be upset."

Jessica glanced up to meet Bella's eyes briefly. Bella could see the tears in her eyes. "You're really not interested in him?"

"No, not at all," Bella replied shaking her head.

"Are you sure?" Jessica asked.

Bella sighed and stood up slowly. She had a feeling that it might come to this, but if this was what it took to convince Jessica that she wasn't interested in Mike, then she'd have to go through with it. Bella lifted her shirt up to show the bulge in her belly.

"Look at me, Jess," Bella said.

Jessica looked at her stomach and then up to her face. She didn't see anything that would help explain why she wouldn't be interested in Mike. "What?" Jessica shrugged.

Bella took a ragged breath and ran her hand over her rounded belly. "I'm pregnant," she said just above a whisper.

Jessica's eyes grew wide and she looked back down to Bella's belly. Now she could see the slight bulge, but she couldn't be ... it wasn't possible! She shook her head and looked back up to Bella's face. "Excuse me?" she coughed.

Esme had to strain her ears from Jessica's door. She normally wasn't the type to intrude on her children's privacy, but she could tell that something was going on with Bella, and she wanted to know what it was.

Esme thought she heard Bella utter the word 'pregnant,' but Esme wasn't completely sure. And besides that, the idea of her being pregnant seemed so far fetched. Bella was a smart girl, and as far as she knew, Bella had never been in any trouble.

'She couldn't really be ...' Esme thought, but her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Mom? What are you doing?" Edward asked eyeing his mother curiously.

"Oh, I was going to ask your sister something, but I forgot what it was," Esme smiled.

"Must be the old age," Edward grinned.

"Very funny," Esme said as she swatted at him playfully. "Aren't you supposed to be on your way to work?"

"I was just leaving," Edward smiled as he gave Esme a quick hug. "I'll see you later."

"Drive carefully," Esme called as Edward walked down the hall.

"As always," Edward grinned over his shoulder before he descended down the stairs.

Esme turned back and looked at Jessica's closed door. For a moment she thought about trying to hear the rest of the conversation, but instead she turned and headed downstairs as well. If she had heard Bella right, then that meant she had a lot to think about.

Bella looked up and her eyes met Jessica's. "I'm pregnant," Bella repeated softly as she let her shirt fall back down. She sat back down and turned to Jessica.

"How far along are you?" Jessica asked.

"Almost 12 weeks," Bella replied.

"How long have you known?" Jessica asked.

"I found out for sure the same day my parents told me that I was coming here to stay," Bella replied.

"Oh, wow ..." Jessica said under her breath. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

Bella shrugged. She really didn't want to tell Jessica that she had thought about having an abortion.

"Edward suggested giving it up for adoption," Bella finally commented.

"Edward knows?" Jessica asked with surprise.

Bella nodded. "I didn't tell him. He overheard me talking to a friend on the phone," she explained. "And I imagine that it won't be long before everyone knows."

"What makes you say that?" Jessica asked.

"Edward promised me that he wouldn't tell anyone, but he told Lauren," Bella frowned.

"Oh," Jessica replied. "He never was that good at keeping secrets," she said cocking her head to the side thoughtfully.

"Obviously," Bella replied wryly.

"So, is that why you and Edward aren't speaking?" Jessica asked curiously.

Bella simply nodded.

"Well, at least now I understand why you're not interested in Mike," Jessica commented with a slight smile.

"Yeah, I'd say that guys are not going to be on my agenda for a while," Bella replied.

"So ... are you going to tell mom and dad?" Jessica asked.

"I'll have to," Bella sighed. "And I need to do it soon because I'm not going to be able to hide it much longer ... I'm just scared."

"Why?" Jessica asked. "You know my parents love you like you were one of their own."

"I know. And that's why I'm scared. They're going to think I'm such a disappointment."

"They will not!" Jessica replied. "My parents would never think that. They love you to pieces!"

Bella sighed and cast her eyes to the floor. "But this isn't like coming in after curfew or something. This is life altering. I'm going to have a baby ... and I'm scared to death."

Jessica scooted to the end of the bed and wrapped her arms around Bella. "It's all going to be okay. I promise. I'll go with you to tell mom and dad if you want."

"Thanks," Bella said softly. "Edward was supposed to go with me to tell your parents. I even made a doctor's appointment, and he told me that he'd go with me to that too, but I'm just so mad at him for telling Lauren ... I mean, I guess I shouldn't be. People are going to find out eventually, but I wanted to at least tell your parents and possibly my own before anyone else finds out."

"Well, I'm sure Lauren won't tell anyone," Jessica said. "And Edward knows why you're mad at him, right?"

"Yeah," Bella nodded.

"Well, I'm sure he'll keep his mouth shut now," Jessica said reassuringly.

"Yeah, I guess," Bella sighed.

"And besides, you've got me," Jessica smiled. "I'll make sure Edward keeps his mouth shut. You know I can't pass up a chance to get on his case," she added with a smirk.

"Yeah, I know," Bella said with a slight smile.


	18. Chapter 18

Edward stepped into the house and threw down his keys. He kicked off his shoes and walked down the hallway to the kitchen as he scratched his head and let out a big yawn. It had been a long day at work and he was completely exhausted. He was ready to grab a bite to eat and then call it a day.

On top of work, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about Bella. He didn't know what to do about her. She was so angry with him, and he knew that she thought he had just outright told Lauren about her pregnancy, but she wouldn't let him explain what had really happened.

"Girls," he muttered, shaking his head as he dug through the refrigerator for something to eat.

"What about girls?" Edward jumped at the sound of Jessica's voice. He straightened up and looked around the door of the refrigerator.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Edward asked.

Jessica shrugged. "I have half a mind to," she replied. "It's not like you wouldn't deserve it."

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Edward asked as Jessica walked over and leaned against the counter.

"Nothing, I just don't like big mouths," Jessica replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Edward asked.

Jessica rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Are you really _that_ dense?" she asked.

"Apparently so," Edward replied, shaking his head out of annoyance. "Because I really have no idea what your problem is."

"My problem is your big mouth!" Jessica replied, throwing her hands up in the air with a sigh. "Bella told me that you blabbed to Lauren about her."

"Wait ... Bella told you ..." Edward asked with surprise.

Jessica rolled her eyes and had half a mind to slap her brother upside the head. Sometimes he just seemed so incredibly stupid.

Jessica was still in a state of shock. At first when Bella had told her that she was pregnant, she thought for sure that she was just pulling her leg. It just seemed so unbelievable that Bella had a baby growing inside of her, but from the way Bella had looked at her, Jessica had quickly realized that she was completely serious.

However, when Bella explained why she was angry with Edward, Jessica hadn't been all that surprised. She knew that Edward had a hard time keeping his mouth shut. He'd always been a bit of a big mouth, whether it was about something serious or not. And she couldn't blame Bella for being upset about Edward's betrayal. Jessica realized that it must have been hard bearing the burden of the secret all alone, so confiding in Edward had probably been a relief to her until she discovered that he had gone behind her back and told someone else.

"Yes, she told me," Jessica finally replied. "And I, unlike you, know how to keep my mouth shut."

"Listen, Jess, you don't know what really happened," Edward replied with a glare.

"So, what did happen? I mean, you _did_ tell Lauren that Bella's pregnant, didn't you?" Jessica asked.

"I didn't mean to tell her," Edward replied.

"What the heck does that mean?" Jessica asked.

"Lauren figured it out," Edward replied.

"How? I live with her, and I never would have guessed if she hadn't told me," Jessica replied.

"Let's go upstairs," Edward replied as he grabbed a can of Dr. Pepper out of the refrigerator and a bag of chips off of the counter.

Jessica crossed her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes as she followed Edward upstairs to his room. Edward sat down on his bed and opened his can of Dr. Pepper.

"Do you ever clean in here?" Jessica asked, making of face of sheer disgust as she looked around the room for a place to sit.

"Not unless I have to," Edward shrugged.

"Well, are you going to answer my question?" Jessica asked impatiently.

"What was the question again?" Edward asked as he grabbed a hand full of chips and stuffed a few into his mouth.

Jessica sighed. "How did Lauren just 'figure out' that Bella's pregnant?" Jessica asked.

Edward dusted off his hands and took a drink of his Dr. Pepper before he sat up straight. "I found out about Bella being pregnant by accident. I overheard her on the phone telling Isabel that she was going to the clinic..."

"Clinic ...?" Jessica interrupted out of confusion. "I thought she hadn't been to a doctor yet."

"The abortion clinic," Edward said softly.

Jessica's eyes grew wide and her mouth formed and 'o' shape. "She was going to ..."

"Yeah," Edward nodded. "And I didn't know what to do, so I went to talk to Lauren. I didn't tell her who it was. I just needed to know what to do. I couldn't let Bella have an abortion, ya know?"

Jessica simply nodded. "How did you stop her?"

"We talked it through," Edward replied. "I didn't think she really wanted to go through with it, and I was right. Thank god. So yeah ..."

"So Lauren just guessed that it was Bella after she met her or what?" Jessica asked.

"She threw up after you ran out of the room the other night, I guess," Edward replied. "And Lauren put two and two together."

"Oh ..." Jessica replied.

"Do I hear an apology coming?" Edward asked.

"Why would I do that?" Jessica asked.

"You called me a big mouth!" Edward replied.

"You are a big mouth," Jessica replied. "I bet you weren't supposed to say anything about Bella going to the clinic, were you?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "I just can't win, can I?"

Jessica shrugged as she walked over to the bathroom door, which was slightly ajar and pushed it open.

"Where are you going?" Edward asked.

"To clear things up between you and Bella," she replied. "You can thank me later."

Edward pulled a face at Jessica's back as she walked through the bathroom to the other door and knocked quickly before she turned the doorknob and stuck her head into Bella's room.

Bella was seated on her bed writing rapidly in her journal. She looked up and smiled at Jessica and motioned for her to come in.

"Why are you coming in through that door?" Bella asked curiously as she closed her journal and sat it and her pen on the nightstand.

"I was talking to Edward," Jessica replied as she sat down on the bed.

"What about?" Bella asked, biting her lip nervously.

"His big mouth," she smirked.

"What did he say?" Bella asked curiously.

Jessica sighed and rolled her eyes. "He didn't _mean_ to tell Lauren ... apparently after he found out that you were pregnant, he went to talk to Lauren because he didn't know what to do ..."

"What to do ...?" Bella cut in.

"About you planning to have an abortion ..." Jessica answered slowly.

"He told you about that?" Bella cried.

"Well, he does have a big mouth," Jessica rolled her eyes as Bella hung her head in shame. "Bells? What's wrong? "

"I didn't want you to know about that," Bella replied softly as she slowly lifted her head to meet Jessica's eyes.

"Why not?" Jessica frowned.

"I'm so ashamed of myself for even considering it, and I know how you and your family feels about abortion, and I thought ... I thought you'd hate me if you knew," Bella explained.

"Bella, I could never hate you," Jessica said as she moved toward Bella and pulled her into a hug. "You're like the big sister I never have. I love you. I mean, I don't agree with abortion, and I'm glad you didn't go through with it. But if I were in your situation, then I would probably be scared and confused too."

"I'm so lucky to have you for a friend," Bella commented with a sigh as she lifted her head and Jessica released her from their embrace.

"Damn straight," Jessica grinned. "So, anyway, Edward only told Lauren about you because he didn't know what to do, but he didn't tell her who it was that was pregnant. Then when she was over here the other night and you threw up, she figured it out."

"Oh ..." Bella replied.

"Yeah, so ... I guess he doesn't have as big of a mouth as we both thought, huh?" Jessica commented.

"I guess so," Bella agreed. "I really jumped the gun on this one, didn't I?"

"Nah, I don't blame you," Jessica replied. "I probably would have reacted the same way."

"I guess I should go apologize or something," Bella said.

"Well, actually you could just go tell him that he's forgiven ... he _did_ blab to me about the abortion thing, so technically you were mad at him before he did something wrong," Jessica smirked.

Bella laughed lightly. "I guess that's true," she nodded. "Well, I guess I should go talk to him."

"Okay, I'm going to go to bed," Jessica smiled. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, goodnight," Bella said, returning the smile as Jessica walked over to the door that led to the hallway and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Bella took a deep breath before she stood up and stretched. She padded slowly across the carpeted floor over to the bathroom door and walked across the linoleum floor to the other door.

She knocked, and Edward said, "Come in."

Bella pushed the door open slowly, as there were clothes lying on the floor behind the door, and stepped into the room. Edward was lying in his bed with a comic book in his hands and a bag of chips lying on his stomach.

"Hey," Bella said softly.

"Hi," Edward replied, sitting down his comic book and tossing the bag of chips to the floor as he sat up.

"Jess told me about what really happened ..." Bella said slowly.

"I'm sorry," Edward cut in. "I should have told you that I'd talked to Lauren about you."

Bella shrugged. "It's okay. I can understand why you needed to talk to someone."

"I'm glad you told Jess," Edward commented. "She seems to be handling the news well."

"Yeah," Bella nodded. "You've got a really great sister, and I've got a really great friend."

"Yeah ..." Edward trailed off.

"So, I just wanted to apologize for overreacting," Bella said. "And my doctor's appointment is on Friday ... if you still want to go. If not ..."

"I'll go," Edward smiled. "I made a promise, and I intend to keep it."

"Thanks," Bella smiled as she stepped back. "Well, I'll let you get back to your comic. Goodnight."

"G'night," Edward replied as Bella slipped back through the door.

* * *

**Please my dear readers; please review! I am so excited to hear everyones' thoughts :) Thanks to those of you who have reviewed already, I really appreciate it! Hope you enjoy my story!**


	19. Chapter 19

Esme sat down on her with a weary sigh and brushed her long hair over her shoulder and began to braid it, as she kneaded her sore feet into the soft, plush carpet.

"Long day?" Carlisle asked from his place on the other side of the bed where he was working on a crossword puzzle.

"You can certainly say that," Esme replied as she tied the end of her hair off with a rubber band and moved to her place in bed. "How was work today?" she asked.

Carlisle sat his crossword puzzle down and with a heavy sigh. "Very busy," he replied. "We spent all day making sure everything was up to code and all of the machines had been serviced. I hate when those inspectors come in to snoop around," he explained. "But I think we made quite a bit of progress today though."

"Well, that's good," Esme smiled.

"So, what's got you so tuckered out today?" Carlisle asked curiously.

Esme shook her head. "Something is going on around here ..." she replied. "With the kids."

"What makes you say that?" Carlisle asked, raising an eyebrow at his tired looking wife.

"Well, you've noticed how well Edward and Bella have been getting along lately, haven't you?" she asked.

"I suppose so," Carlisle nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, they weren't speaking today," Esme sighed. "And Jessica was upset with Bella."

"About what?" Carlisle asked.

"Oh, over a boy," Esme said, shaking her head. "Jessica liked him, but he likes Bella. I think I got through to her that it's not Bella's fault... but I don't know what's going on between Bella and Edward though ..."

"Well, they're teenagers," Carlisle pointed out. "Arguing is on their every day agenda."

Esme gave Carlisle a pointed look as she shook her head. "Why do you always dismiss everything as them 'just being teenagers?'"

"Well, most of the time it is," he replied. "Sweetie, teenagers fight over trivial things all the time. You remember how Jake and Edward were when they were younger, don't you?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "They fought like cats and dogs."

"See, that's my point," Carlisle nodded.

"But, Carlisle, I'm worried," Esme said. "I overheard Bella talking to Jessica, and I distinctly heard her say the word pregnant."

"You overheard?" Carlisle asked, raising an eyebrow. "And how did that happen?"

"I was going to talk to Jess, and I was right outside the door, and I heard them talking," Esme explained matter of factly.

"So in other words, you were eavesdropping?" Carlisle smirked.

"I was not!" Esme exclaimed.

This time Carlisle gave Esme a pointed look as if to tell her that there was no fooling him.

Esme sighed and leaned back against her pillow, crossing her arms across her chest. "Fine, I was eavesdropping," she confessed.

Carlisle smirked again. "So, why were you eavesdropping?"

"Well, I didn't mean to!" Esme exclaimed. "I just wanted to check and see if they were working things out," she explained.

"And did they?" he asked.

"I think they did," Esme nodded. "They watched a movie with Riley and Bree this evening, but I'm really concerned about what I heard."

"What? The word pregnant?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes," Esme replied. "More importantly, it sounded as if Bella said she was pregnant."

"Oh, Es," Carlisle said, shaking his head. "Do you really think that the girl is pregnant?"

"I don't know, Carlisle," Esme replied. "She has been acting a little strange these past few days ..."

"Esme, she's just been uprooted from her home and forced to live with a family she only sees every few years," Carlisle pointed out. "I think I might be acting a little strange if I were her too. That's a pretty big adjustment."

"Come on, Carlisle, don't you think it's at least possible?" Esme asked.

He rubbed his temples and shrugged. "I suppose it's _possible_," he admitted. "But wouldn't Renee and Charlie know if their daughter was pregnant?"

Esme shook her head doubtfully. "Carlisle, you should know by now that no matter how well you think you know your kids, they always keep secrets from you."

"That's true, but don't you think it's possible that you just misunderstood what she said?" Carlisle asked. "They could have been talking about someone that they knew."

"I suppose that's true," Esme agreed. "But I really don't think I did ..."

"Esme, do you have any other reason than listening through a door and hearing the word pregnant to believe that Bella is pregnant?" Carlisle asked.

"Well ... I don't suppose so," Esme sighed.

"So, it's possible that you're just overacting," he said. "And like I said, Bella's still trying to adjust to the new living arrangement, so I wouldn't think too much of her acting oddly."

"And I suppose it's possible that she and Edward just had some kind of argument and she's not acting like herself because of that ..." Esme commented.

"See? We're probably discussing something that's not even worth worrying over," Carlisle smiled.

Esme forced a smile and nodded. "You're probably right," she finally agreed although she wasn't as sure as her husband.

"I think we should call it a night," Carlisle said. "You're probably just tired. Get some sleep and maybe things will be clearer in the morning."

"Alright, sweetheart," Esme smiled as she leaned over and gave Carlisle a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied as she turned and switched off the light on the stand beside her bed. Carlisle followed suit and they both stretched out in bed.

Carlisle quickly dozed off while Esme stared up at the ceiling, frowning with worry. What if things weren't clearer in the morning? What if she was right and they did in fact have a pregnant 17-year-old living under their roof?

Esme shook her head and tried to clear her mind. Carlisle was probably right. She was probably just worrying over nothing.

Friday afternoon Bella and Jessica left the house after telling Esme that they were going to go to the mall. Much to their relief, Esme hadn't prodded them for any more information about their plans, and they'd met up with Edward at the doctor's office. Edward and Jessica had both insisted upon going with her, and Bella had been grateful for their support.

After checking in with the receptionist, Bella went and sat down with Jessica and Edward. Surprisingly, they were the only ones in the waiting room.

"I must be the only pregnant girl in town," Bella muttered.

"I'm sure that's not true," Jessica replied.

"You're probably just one of the last appointments for the day," Edward commented. "You know how doctor's like to leave really early and all that."

Bella smiled slightly. "I'm sorry for being so grumpy," she said with a soft sigh. "I'm just nervous."

"You don't have anything to be nervous about," Jessica said. "The doctor's just going to look you over and make sure everything's okay."

"I know ... I just ... I'm not fond of doctors," Bella said.

"I don't know many people who are," Edward pointed out.

Bella rolled her eyes and nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am," Edward smirked.

Not longer after, they called Bella's name and she stood up to follow.

"Want me to come with you?" Edward asked.

Bella looked between Edward and Jessica. She knew that Jessica would probably want to come with her as well, but Bella didn't think she needed two people to come with her, yet she really didn't want to go alone.

"Edward can go," Jessica smiled, sensing Bella's dilemma. "I'll go back with you next time."

"Okay," Bella smiled and Edward stood and they followed the woman into the back. She took them to one of the rooms and informed them that the doctor would be in shortly.

Bella sat down on the crinkly-papered table and Edward sat down in a chair.

They both sat quietly as Bella swung her legs back and forth anxious, which caused the paper to make a noise.

"Stop wiggling around," Edward commented. "I hate that sound."

"Sorry," Bella muttered meekly, suddenly sitting still. "I wish the doctor would hurry up."

Then almost as if an answer to prayers, the door swung open and a woman stepped inside with a clipboard tucked under her arm.

"Hello," she smiled.

"Hi," Bella said nervously.

"I'm Dr. Evans," she introduced as she shut the door behind her and walked into the room. "How are you feeling today, Bella?" she asked as she sat down.

"Pretty good," Bella nodded.

"That's good to hear," she smiled, turning to Edward. "Is this the father?"

Edward's eyes grew wide, and Bella stifled a laugh. "No," she said quickly. "This is my friend, Edward."

"Oh," Dr. Evans nodded. "Is the father in the picture?" she asked.

"No," Bella shook her head, and Dr. Evans simply nodded before she proceeded to ask another round of questions.

She then did an ultrasound and listened to the baby's heartbeat. She offered to let Bella listen as well, but Bella was a little reluctant, but in the end she agreed.

She slipped the earpieces of the stethoscope into her ears and listened to thump of the baby's heartbeat. She listened quietly for a moment. She wasn't sure how she should feel about it. Up until that point, the baby had only be talked about in theory, but now it was real. She was hearing his or her heart beating. It was then that it finally hit her that a real person was growing within her.

After Bella removed the earpieces, the doctor asked Edward if he would like to listen, and he eagerly agreed. He smiled widely as he listened to the heartbeat.

"Awesome," he said as he took the earpieces off.

"Yes, it is rather awesome, isn't it?" Dr. Evans commented.

"Joshua Riley, get down here and pick up these toys," Esme yelled as she passed by the living room with a basket full of clean, newly folded clothes. She sighed wearily as she climbed the stairs.

She stopped in Bree and Vicky's room and put their things away before she moved on to Jessica's room. She quickly put her clean clothes in the drawer before she walked across the hall to Edward's room. She shook her head in disbelief as she looked around.

"How can he live like this?" she muttered as she picked up all of the dirty clothes strewn across the floor and placed them in the dirty clothes hamper. It was hard to believe that Edward was still a complete and utter mess. He'd been that way all of this life. When he'd shared a room with Jasper and Jacob, he was always the one making a mess in the room, causing Jasper and Jacob to complain constantly when they were told to clean their room.

For a long time Esme had thought that he would eventually grow out of his messiness, but it was quickly becoming obvious that he probably never would. Esme had long since given up on scolding him about keeping his room clean. If he wanted to live in filth, there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it.

She sighed and shook her head as she put his clean clothes in the dresser, so that they wouldn't end up strewn across the floor like most of this other clothes before she walked through the bathroom into Bella's room.

Esme looked around the room. It felt like a breath of fresh air after being in Edward's room. Bella's room was virtually spotless, save for a few books and other things lying on the floor.

Esme sat the basket on Bella's bed and picked up her stack of clothes. Esme couldn't help but smile. Bella had tried to insist upon doing her own laundry, but Esme wasn't having it. She washed the rest of the kids' clothes most of the time, so she might as well do Bella's at the same time.

Bella had argued with her for a while before she finally gave in. Esme hadn't realized until this just how independent Bella was. With her parents working all of the time, Bella had to take care of herself - cooking, cleaning, making sure she got her school work done; she had to do it all by herself. She probably wasn't used to someone else trying to take care of her.

Esme couldn't imagine what that felt like for Bella, but she knew for sure that she would never be able to do the same with her children. Even though Jasper was grown and out of the house and preparing to be married, she still felt she had to check in on him from time to time just to make sure he was doing okay. She didn't understand how Renee could do it. Of course she knew her friend loved her daughter. She and Charlie doted on Bella. They just led such busy lives that they never got to spend any quality time with her.

She picked up the last of the clothes in the basket and walked over to the dresser. She opened the first couple of drawers before discovering the right one for t-shirts. She moved the small stack that was already in the drawer to the next pile, and when she did she uncovered a pink velvet covered book. Esme raised an eyebrow curiously and picked up the book as she placed the clothes in the drawer.

She was perplexed. She slowly opened the cover and the inscription on the front page was printed clearly in a bright pink and read: _This diary belongs to Isabella Marie Swan_. Esme held the book in her hands for a moment debating over what to do. She knew it was wrong to even _consider_ reading Bella's diary, but her suspicions about Bella being pregnant could easily be answered by just reading it.

Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by Bree's calling for her. "I'm in Bella's room, baby," Esme replied, quickly slipping the diary back into this place in the drawer.

"Mommy, Riley didn't pick up his toys," Bree informed her as she appeared at the door.

Esme sighed. "Well, I guess we'll have to go straighten him out, huh?" she replied.

Bree nodded seriously. "Uh huh."

Esme smiled and walked over and grabbed the laundry basket off of the bed and took Bree's hand in hers and made her way downstairs to lecture her son. She had a feeling that she had another Edward on her hands.

"What did the doctor say?" Jessica asked anxiously once she and Bella were on their way back home.

"She said everything looks good," Bella replied. "She thinks I'm due around January 17."

"That's Bree's birthday!" Jessica exclaimed. "She'll be so excited."

Bella smiled weakly and kept her eyes on the road.

"What's wrong?" Jessica asked.

"Nothing," Bella shrugged. "I'm just nervous. I have to tell your parents soon because I have to go get blood work done and have to have a guardian with me."

"Oh ..." Jessica said.

"I got to listen to the baby's heart beat," Bella commented offhandedly.

"Really?" Jessica asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "That's so cool! I love babies. I can't wait to have one of my own."

Bella glanced at Jessica wearily. "Want to trade me places?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bella!" Jessica said. "I have such a big mouth. I know you're scared, but mom and dad won't hate you. Everything will be fine. And just think, in January you'll have an adorable little baby."

Bella remained silent. She didn't have the heart to tell Jessica that she was thinking about giving the baby up for adoption. She wished that she could feel as excited about it as Jessica, or even as Edward had when he'd listened to the baby's heartbeat, but hearing the heartbeat had made it all too real. Before she had been able to distance herself from the truth because the only real evidence of the pregnancy was her morning sickness, but even that had begun to fade away. But now after hearing the heartbeat, there was denying the fact that she really was carrying a child.

Jessica took Bella's silence as a sign that she no longer wanted to talk about the baby, so she decided to shift gears.

"I'm staying the night with Samantha tonight," Jessica commented.

"Oh, that's cool," Bella smiled.

"Yeah," Jessica sighed.

"What are you guys going to do?" Bella asked.

"Probably watch movie and pig out," Jessica shrugged.

"Sounds fun," Bella grinned.

"Do you want to come?" Jessica asked. "I'm sure Sam and her mom won't mind ..."

"No, that's okay. Thanks for the offer though," she answered quickly.

"What are you going to do tonight?" Jessica asked curiously.

"Probably just hang around and be lazy," Bella shrugged. "Maybe hang out with Edward if he doesn't have any other plans."

"I doubt he does," Jessica commented. "He's a loser."

"He is not," Bella argued.

"Oh, you're defending the loser now, huh?" Jessica smirked. "You like him, don't you?"

"As a friend," Bella replied.

"Oh, come on! Admit it! You have the hots for my brother," Jessica giggled.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm madly in love with him," she said sarcastically.

"I knew it!" Jessica exclaimed as Bella pulled into the Cullens' driveway. "We're home already?' Jessica gasped. "That was fast."

"Well, you _were_ busy gabbing," Bella pointed out as she turned off the car and climbed out.

Jessica stuck her tongue out at Bella's back before she got out of the car and followed her up the driveway and into the house.

"Hello, girls," Esme smiled, meeting them on the staircase. "How was the mall?"

Jessica shrugged, "Same as usual."

"It is finally getting dull?" Esme asked.

"Maybe," Jessica shrugged. "Are you driving me over to Sam's tonight?"

"Yes, I'll take you when it's time for me to go pick Vicky up from Lydia's house," Esme replied.

"Okay," Jessica nodded. "I have to go pack."

"What are your plans for the evening, Bella?" Esme asked as Jessica fled up the staircase.

Bella shrugged. "I might see if Edward wants to do something," she replied.

"Would you mind watching Bree and Riley while I take Jess to Sam's and go to pick up Vicky?" Esme asked.

"No, not at all," Bella smiled. "Just let me know when you're getting ready to leave."

"Okay, thank you," Esme smiled.

A little while later Esme and Jessica set out leaving Bella to watch Bree and Riley. Esme was anxious to get Jessica alone. She thought perhaps if she had the chance she would be able to get some answers from her eldest daughter.

"So, how do you think Bella's adjusting to living here?" Esme asked as Jessica fiddled with the radio.

"I think she misses her parents and her friends, but I think she's doing okay," Jessica replied. "She has me, after all."

"Well, I'm sure that's definitely helped," Esme smiled softly. It had only recently became obviously to her that Jessica had a cocky, sarcastic personality quite similar to Edward, and she figured that that was probably why the two of them were usually at odds.

"So, have you talked to many of your friends from school?" Esme asked.

"Eh, not really," Jessica shrugged. "Just Sam mostly. She's talked to some of the others, but nothing new is going on. Jade and her family are on vacation in the Bahamas, I guess."

"That sounds like fun," Esme said.

"Yeah, we should do that sometime," Jessica commented.

"If only it were that easy," Esme replied.

"Yeah, I know," she nodded. "Wishful thinking, I guess."

"Has Bella talked to any of her friends from back home?" Esme asked.

"Just Angela, I think," Jessica replied with a shrug.

Esme could see that her questioning was going nowhere fast. Obviously Bella and Jessica had not been discussing one of their friends being pregnant; otherwise, Jessica probably would have thought it was worth noting.

After Esme dropped Jessica off at Samantha's house, she headed over to pick up Vicky. During her drive, she decided that she would have to use a different tactic if she was going to get any answers.


	20. Chapter 20

"I'm really glad you decided to come along," Esme commented as she and Bella walked through Wal-Mart.

"So am I," Bella smiled as Esme picked a few things off of one of the shelves and threw them into the cart. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Well, I thought you might like some one on one time," Esme commented. "You're probably not used to having so many people around you all the time."

"Yeah, but I'm getting used it, and it's not so bad," Bella smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that," Esme said as she pushed the cart and they went to the next aisle.

When Esme had realized that questioning Jessica about her friends wasn't going to work, she decided try a different route. At first she hadn't been sure how to broach the subject with Bella. She didn't want to just sit her down and start asking random questions. She thought that that would make things way too obvious. And on top of that, finding a moment where she could just talk one on one with Bella seemed to be impossible with five children running around the house all the time constantly battling for her attention.

So Esme had decided to ask Bella to come along with her while she ran some errands. Luckily both Carlisle and Edward had to work, so that gave Esme the excuse to ask Jessica to babysit, which in turn gave her the perfect opportunity to talk with Bella.

Bella, however, had felt a little uncertain about spending the entire afternoon alone with Esme. She felt comfortable enough around her, but she did feel guilty about keeping such a huge secret from her. She had also noticed Esme giving her concerned looks on several occasions. She had confided in Jessica about her nervousness, but Jessica had simply written it off as Esme being her usual worrisome motherly self.

The ride to Wal-Mart had been rather quiet. Bella had never been particularly comfortable talking with adults since her parents were always out and about, so she wasn't sure what to talk to Esme about, so instead she had resolved to simply listening to the soft hum of the radio and letting Esme start the conversation.

Unfortunately, Esme had been a bit of a loss as well. She'd raised three teenage boys already, but Jessica was just going on 15. She had yet to deal with her daughter dating or any of the other issues that came along with raising a teenage girl. She and Jessica were still fairly close, so she was fairly comfortable approaching Jessica on matters of her personal life. Bella, however, was a completely different story. Esme knew that Bella's relationship with Renee was nothing like the one she had with Jessica, and she didn't want to impose on Bella's personal life and make her uncomfortable and end up pushing her away rather than growing closer to her.

"So, are you anxious about starting school?" Esme asked curiously.

Bella sighed and made a face. "I think I'm more nervous than anything," she replied.

"I can understand that," Esme nodded. "I moved around a lot when I was younger, so I had to change schools quite a few times. It's tough at first, but if you stay positive and just be yourself, you'll be making new friends here in no time," she said.

Bella nodded but didn't reply. She wanted to believe what Esme was telling her, but in the back of her mind she couldn't help but think that it wouldn't be so easy for her. Esme hadn't been the new _pregnant_ girl at those schools. She was so worried about what people were going to have to say about her. She had no doubt that they'd think she was nothing more than a slut who had been sent away for getting knocked up.

"So, I know you have a couple more years of high school, but do you have any idea what you want to do after graduation?" Esme asked.

Bella shrugged. "I've thought about going to law school, but I'm not sure."

"Well, law school sounds like a good plan," Esme nodded.

"Yeah ... I don't know though," Bella said. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see."

"That's true," Esme agreed. "A lot of things can change between now and then."

"Yeah ..." Bella agreed. 'Like having a baby.' she thought.

The rest of their time in Wal-Mart was carried in silence, and after checking out and getting their things loaded into the family van, Esme and Bella climbed inside and buckled up.

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry," Esme commented as she maneuvered the van out of the parking lot. "What do you say we stop by somewhere and pick up some lunch and go to the park to eat?"

"Sure, sounds great," Bella smiled.

"Okay," Esme nodded. "We might as well make a day out of our time out. I don't get that luxury very often."

"I can only imagine," Bella said. "You always seem so busy."

"I am," she agreed. "But I wouldn't have it any other way," she smiled.

Bella couldn't help but smile. She could tell how much Esme loved her family. Even though she was always on the go and there was always someone to pick up after or someone to chauffeur around, Esme never complained. She seemed genuinely happy with her life.

After going through the drive thru, Esme drove over to the park and they went out and sat at one of the picnic tables. Bella quickly unwrapped her cheeseburger and took a big bite out of it before shoving a couple of salty fries into her mouth. She'd been starving since breakfast that morning. She couldn't believe how hungry she had been over the last few days.

"The weather has been wonderful this summer," Esme commented, watching Bella as she ate. "Normally, it's sweltering hot this time of year, but this year it's been rather pleasant."

"It is really nice here," Bella agreed, sipping on her Dr. Pepper. "I miss the ocean though."

"Oh, I bet," Esme nodded as she ate her cheeseburger.

"The breeze off of the ocean in the summer - it just feels so good," Bella sighed.

"You like surfing as well, don't you?" Esme asked.

"Yeah, I was never that good though," Bella shrugged, making a face.

"Well, you don't have to be the best to have fun," Esme pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," Bella nodded.

"You have a hard time not being the best, don't you?" she asked, knowingly.

Bella blushed a little. "Yeah, I guess I do," she nodded.

"Any idea why?" Esme asked.

Bella shrugged. "I don't know. I guess because I always wanted my mom and dad to be proud of me, so I just decided that I had to be good at everything I did so that they would always be proud of me."

"They'd be proud of your no matter how good were you at something, Bella," Esme said. "They love you. You're their pride and joy."

"I don't know why," she muttered.

"Bella, is there something wrong?" Esme asked, frowning. When Bella didn't reply, Esme continued speaking. "You know that you can tell me anything. I may not get to visit you regularly and I don't know you as well as I used to you, I still care about you and love you as if you were one of my own children."

"I know that," Bella whispered.

"So, is there anything you want to talk about? Anything that's bothering you?" Esme prodded.

Bella sighed. She knew that Esme was giving her the perfect opportunity to share her secret, but she was still reluctant. She knew she had to tell Esme soon, but the idea of revealing her pregnancy to Esme still scared Bella. Although she did have a sneaking suspicion that Esme had brought her along to run errands with every intention of having this heart to heart moment. Apparently Esme was far more perceptive than Bella gave her credit for.

Esme watched Bella carefully. Esme could tell that Bella was thinking things over, probably trying to decide whether or not she wanted to tell her whatever was weighing on her mind.

Finally Bella spoke. "Esme, have you ever made a really huge mistake?" she asked. "One that would changed everything in your life?"

Esme was taken aback by Bella's question. She hadn't expected her to ask something to that effect, so she had to think for a moment about how to answer it. "Well, I think we all make huge mistakes at some point in our lives - some bigger than others - but it's part of life, living and learning and from our mistakes. And we all have to pay for them, one way or another. But I think that everything happens for a reason, and all things get worked out. It may not feel like there's hope at the time, but we all pull through."

Bella thought of a moment, letting Esme's words sink it. She tried to figure out how Esme's answer related to her situation. Yes, she had made a mistake - several in fact. She had slept with James and hadn't used any protection. At the time when she was doing it, she was fully aware of what _could_ happen, but she had made the mistake of thinking that it couldn't happen to her. She was just another girl in the world - no better than anyone else, so why had she thought that she was immune to getting pregnant?

As far as Bella could see, the mistake she had made was pretty big, but it was a part of life? Bella decided in a way that perhaps that were true. She was fully aware that she wasn't the first teenage girl in the world to get pregnant because she had unprotected sex. Although she thought it was a pretty hard lesson for her. She'd only had sex once in her entire life, and now she would have to pay for it for the rest of her life - no matter what she did. Whether she kept the baby and raised it herself, or gave it up for adoption, and even if she had had the abortion, she would still be paying for it. The memory of it all would always be etched in her mind. There was no way around it. There was no possible way she'd ever be able to forget about the experience. It would haunt her forever.

But Esme said she thought that everything happened for a reason. Bella had to think about that for a moment. She couldn't find any other reason for this happening to her other than it was her punishment for being so stupid and getting caught up in the heat of the moment. But then again, Esme said that everyone pulled through. Bella wasn't so sure about that, but she believed Esme enough to trust her on this one. Maybe if she told Esme, she would finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe Esme would have more insight on what she should do. Maybe she could help her get through this.

Bella took a deep breath. Esme had given her the perfect opportunity to fess up, and after thinking about what Esme had said, she realized that things were probably only going to get worse before they got better, and telling Esme and her parents that she was pregnant fell into the category of worse for her, so from there on out, things could only get better. Right?

Bella looked up at Esme, who remained quiet and watched her carefully, as if studying her trying to figure out what was going through her mind. Bella opened her mouth to speak, but her mouth suddenly grew dry. Deciding to tell her that she was pregnant sounded so much easier than actually going through with it. How as she was supposed to tell her? She couldn't just blurt out the words. That was ridiculous. She was supposed to be an intelligent girl, so why couldn't she find the right words she needed to tell her Godmother what it was she so longed to say?

"Bella, what is it?" Esme asked, lines of worrying appearing on her forehead as she leaned forward.

Bella opened her mouth and let out a bit of a squeak before she actually formed any words. "I - I made ... I mean, I did something. Something really stupid," she fumbled, trying to find the words to explain what had led her to her current condition. "I was dating this guy for a while. His name was James. I liked him a lot, and I thought he loved me, like I loved him."

Esme remained quiet as Bella paused to collect her thoughts. She had the distinct feeling that what she had heard just a few days before had been correct, but she wanted to wait and let Bella get the words out. It seemed as if she needed to say it, no matter how hard it was for her to find the words.

"This one night ... he was over and mom and dad were working late, as usual, and things ... they got pretty heavy and I got really caught up in the moment, and we slept together. I knew it was wrong, and I knew he didn't have a condom. And I knew even though it was my first time that I could ... I could get pregnant, but I didn't think it could happen to me. Or maybe I just didn't care ... I don't know. But it did. And I am. Pregnant, I mean," Bella concluded.

Esme reached across the table and took Bella's hands in her own. "Oh, sweetheart," she sighed.

"I'm so stupid," Bella whispered as the tears that had been forming in her eyes began to spill over. "You must think I'm so dumb. My parents are going to hate me. I've ruined everything."

"Oh, Bella," Esme said, frowning. "You're not stupid. I don't think you're dumb at all. You're an incredible girl. You've just made a bad decision. And there's nothing that you could ever do to make your parents hate you. They love you more than life itself. I love you. We all do. And you haven't ruined everything. It may feel like that right now, but we'll get through this together."

"Really?" Bella croaked, looking up tearfully.

"I promise," Esme answered, nodding as her eyes glistened with unshed tears.


	21. Chapter 21

Carlisle paced the floor nervously until he heard Esme clear her throat from behind him. He turned and she raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Well?" she said.

"Well, what?" Carlisle replied.

"I think you owe me an apology," she said, crossing her arms across her chest.

Carlisle shot her a look of confusion.

Esme rolled her eyes much in same manner as one of the children would. "If I recall correctly, you basically told me that I was just imagining things when I told you that I thought that I heard Bella say that she was pregnant," Esme replied. "And, obviously, my hearing is just fine."

Carlisle sighed. "I'm sorry, Es," he replied. He shook his head. "I can't believe this. What are we going to do with her?"

"Well, I took her in to have her blood work done," Esme replied. "And I'll go with her to her next doctor's appointment to make sure that everything's in order."

"But what about Renee and Charlie?" Carlisle asked. "What are we supposed to do about them? They don't even know that their daughter is pregnant."

"Well, first I think we need to find out what Bella is planning to do," Esme replied as she walked over to the couch and sat down.

"Planning to do?" Carlisle asking, raising an eyebrow uncertainly.

Esme sighed. "Carlisle, really, why are you suddenly acting so dense?"

"I'm in shock, darling," Carlisle replied, flailing his arms about. "Bella is like one of our own children. Finding out that she's pregnant is more than just a little unsettling."

Esme's expression softened and she nodded. "I understand that," she replied. "When I said what she was planning to do, I meant whether she intends to keep the baby and raise it herself or give it up for adoption," Esme explained.

"Oh," Carlisle said, shaking his head. "I should have known that. I'm just so baffled. How can you be so calm?"

"Well, I don't see any point in getting all bent out of shape or stressed about it. It's already done, so it's not as if it can be changed," Esme replied.

"But would you be so calm if this were Jessica or one of the boys' girlfriends?" Carlisle asked.

"I don't suppose so," Esme replied. "But, thankfully, that's not the situation. As you said, I love Bella like a daughter, and right now what she needs is someone to be there for her. I can't imagine the pain and confusion she's going through right now, but from my talk with her, it's pretty obvious that she's beating herself up over this."

"So, again, I say - what are we going to do?" Carlisle asked.

"I think we need to talk to Bella. We need to find out where she stands on her choices, and from there we'll take the steps needed to see this thing out," Esme explained rationally.

"And Renee and Charlie?" he asked.

"Well, we won't be getting another call from them for at least three weeks, so I think our best bet is sending them a letter," Esme replied. "We know that someone takes the mail out to them weekly, so by the time they get our letter, it should be about time for their next phone call. And hopefully, we'll be able to talk this out and do what's best for Bella," she concluded.

"Well, then I suppose we need to get Bella down here and see what she wants to do," Carlisle sighed.

Esme nodded. "I'll go up and get her," she said, standing up. She stepped out of the living room and headed up the stairs. She couldn't help but consider Carlisle's words. Would she have been so accepting and calm if it had been Jessica or one of the boys' girlfriends that were pregnant? She liked to think so, but deep down she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that it wasn't her child who was bringing another child into the world.

She walked down the hallway to Bella's room and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Bella called. Esme opened the door and was surprised to find Jessica and Edward seated on the bed with Bella.

"Bella, Carlisle and I would like to talk to you downstairs," she said.

Bella nodded. "Okay."

"We'll be waiting in the living room," she said, giving Bella a reassuring smile.

Bella watched as Esme disappeared from the entrance before she turned to Edward and Jessica.

"Well, I guess this is the talk I've been dreading," she commented.

"Just think - the worst of it's over," Edward pointed out.

"It will be fine," Jessica reassured her.

"Thanks, you guys," Bella smiled, weakly as she gave them each a quick hug before she slid off of the bed.

She knew that Edward right. The worst was over - at least for now. She still had to tell her parents, but at least with Esme by her side, the task shouldn't be quite as grueling as it had been before.

Bella made her way down to the living room and found Esme and Carlisle seated side by side on the couch. Bella sat down in the recliner and looked at the couple uncertainly.

"Bella, we just wanted to sit down and touch base on the situation," Esme began. "I know that you're going through a lot right now, but we were just wondering if you had any idea what you wanted to do."

Bella looked down at her hands for a moment and bit her lip. She had given this a great deal of thought already. Her mind had been virtually been made up since her talk with Edward weeks before. As far as she could see, she was entirely too ill equipped to raise a child properly, so there was only one reasonable option left.

"I want to give the baby up for adoption," Bella replied softly. She glanced up to see Esme watching her with a soft expression of concern upon her face while the only way to describe Carlisle's expression was one of sheer pity. The look alone made her want to cry. She didn't want to be pitied. Part of her wanted them to be just as angry with her as she was with herself. However, she saw no look of disgusted or anger upon their faces.

"Well, if you're sure that's what you want to do," Esme began.

"I do," Bella cut in. She looked down at her hands and let out a ragged breath. "I'm not fit to be anyone's mother right now," she explained. "A baby deserves two parents that will love and take care of him or her. Right now, I can't do that."

Esme nodded simply. "Well, Carlisle and I will always be here if you change your mind," she said. "But we still have to deal with your parents."

Bella made a pained face at the mention of her parents. She was certain that they would be nowhere near as calm and collected as Esme and Carlisle when they found out the news.

"Esme and I think that the best solution since we won't be hearing from your parents for at least three weeks is for you to write them a letter. Esme and I really think that this is something that they should hear from you," Carlisle commented.

"Besides, a letter may be the easiest way for you to express how you are feeling," Esme put in. "And just remember that Carlisle and I love you, and we're here for you. And we plan to see you through this situation, so if you _ever_ need to talk, you can come to either one of us."

"Thank you," Bella whispered.

Esme stood up and walked over to Bella and wrapped her arms around her. "Everything's going to be okay, sweetheart."

Bella didn't look so certain, but she nodded anyway. "I think I'll go work on that letter to my parents now."

"Okay," Esme nodded as Bella stood up.

Bella made her way back upstairs and stepped into her bedroom with a heavy sigh. Edward and Jessica had vacated the room while she was gone, and for that Bella was thankful. As much as she appreciated their support, she just wanted to be alone for a while.

She knew that Esme and Carlisle's idea for her to write her parents a letter was probably the best course of action, but Bella had no idea where to even begin. She walked over to her desk and grabbed a notebook and pen before she walked over and sat down on her bed. She flipped the notebook open and stared blankly at the page for a long time before she finally pressed her pen to the paper and began to write.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I know you'll probably be surprised to receive a letter from me, but I have something that I have to tell you. I would wait until your next phone call, but the words probably wouldn't come out right. They never do when I try to talk to you.

All my life I've tried to live up to your expectations for me. Unlike most parents, you've never been overbearing and obnoxious and tried to make me be something other than myself. I've always considered myself a perfectionist though. I see how proud you are of me when I do something well, and I guess I've always wanted to keep things that way.

But I've messed that all up. I've made a terrible mistake, and I know that you're going to be disappointed in me. You have every right to be. I'm disappointed in myself as well. I used to think that I was so smart - probably smarter than I actually am. And in thinking so, I guess I got it into my head that I was better than everyone else and nothing bad could happen to me, but I was wrong. So wrong.

I know I mentioned James from time to time though you never actually got to meet him. I cared deeply about him, and let those feelings, which I can see now were nothing more than lust, lead me down the wrong path.

There's really no simple or pretty way to say this. I'm pregnant. I've known since the day you told me about coming to stay with the Cullens. I know that I should have said something sooner, but I was scared. I still am. When I left home, the only people who knew were Angela and James. James has made it more than clear he that wants nothing to do with the baby or me. Although, I suppose that that's probably not an entirely bad thing, considering he's just bad news. That's blatantly obvious now.

Upon my arrival to Forks, I tried to keep my condition hidden, but Edward found out, and not long after I felt compelled to tell Jessica as well. The two of them convinced me that I needed to tell Esme or Carlisle, and I finally told Esme about my pregnancy this afternoon.

I'd already been to the doctor once, but Esme took me to have the blood work done. I'm supposed to go back to the doctor again in about three weeks to find out more. As of right now, my due date is January 14th. The only reasonable option I can see right now is to give the baby up for adoption. While often times I like to think of myself as being grown up, I think we all know that I'm not; otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten myself into this predicament.

I know that this is a lot to take in, and I don't blame you for being upset or disappointed in me. I just hope that you can forgive me someday. I hope your archeological dig is going well, and I will talk to in a few weeks.

Love,  
Bella

Bella sat her pen down and read over her letter once again. She nodded silently to herself upon finishing. She felt like she had said everything that needed to be said, so she tore the papers out of her notebook and folded them up before she stood. She stretched her arms with a yawn before she made her way back downstairs.

She looked around for Esme for a bit before she stumbled upon Carlisle, who was working in his study.

"Hi," she smiled sheepishly.

"Hello," Carlisle smiled warmly. "Can I help you with something?"

"I was just looking for Esme," Bella replied.

"She decided to go pick up some chicken from KFC for dinner," Carlisle replied. "Did you need her for something important?"

Bella shrugged. "I just finished my letter to my parents ..."

"Oh ..." Carlisle nodded.

"I just needed an envelope," Bella replied.

"Well, that I can help with," Carlisle smiled as he turned in his chair and pulled open a drawer. He removed a long envelope and held it out for Bella. She smiled and walked over and took it from him.

"Thank you," she said.

"Was it hard for you to write?" Carlisle inquired.

Bella made a face. "Not as hard as I thought it would be," she replied after much thought.

"Well, it's always easier to say things on paper than it is out loud," he commented.

"Yeah," Bella agreed.

"We'll all get through this," Carlisle said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I know," she nodded a little uncertainly. "Thank you ... for being so understanding."

"You're welcome," Carlisle nodded before Bella turned and headed back upstairs to address her letter to her parents.

* * *

**Well that's my final chapter of the night! Hope you enjoy it and please share my story if you like it! And don't forget, review please! That's what keeps me going!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Bella smiled softly as she sat back on the couch and watched as the four youngest Cullen children played a game of Twister in the middle of their large living room. They were a few moves into their second round of the game, and Edward had been forced off the mat due to the fact that he "took up too much room," so instead he had taken over control of the spinner, relieving Bella of her duty and giving her the chance to sit on the sidelines and enjoy watching the game.

Bella had been disappointed to see Edward leave the game, as he looked like a giant on the mat in comparison to his siblings. As retaliation for being kicked out, Edward was taking an exceedingly long time to call out the next move. He grinned wickedly as he watched his siblings teeter around on the mat.

"Serves you right for giving me the boot," Edward grinned wickedly.

"Just call the next move!" Vicky grunted. She was stretched uncomfortably from one end of the mat to the other, as were Jessica, Riley, and Bree.

Bella watched with amusement as Edward called the next move and his siblings maneuvered themselves around on the mat. Bella had declined when she was asked if she wanted to participate in the game, but she couldn't help but think that it looked like a lot of fun. However, while her "morning" sickness had disappeared completely, other signs of pregnancy were beginning to become more apparent, like the more than subtle bump in her abdomen.

Jessica had tried to convince Bella that no one would notice, but she'd caught Vicky staring curiously at her stomach a few days later, which had only confirmed Bella's worries. That was when Edward had made the comment that if people didn't know her, then they wouldn't know the difference. At this Bella retorted grumpily, "So instead they'll just think I'm fat?" After that, Edward just kept his mouth shut and left Jessica to do all of the reassuring.

Bella knew that Edward and Jessica were simply trying to ease her mind, but their efforts seemed to be in vain. The weeks since she'd written to her parents had passed exceptionally fast and as the days drew nearer to when her parents would be calling, Bella began to grow increasingly nervous and moody.

When she'd woken up that morning though, her anxiety was amplified to the power of one hundred. It had been a battle to just pull herself out of bed, and upon doing so, she had anxiously wandered about the house, jumping with fear every time the phone rang, hoping and praying that it _wasn't_ her parents on the other end of the phone.

Esme and Carlisle had called her down for another discussion the week before to talk about what they were going to say when Charlie and Renee called home. Esme had tried to assure her that her parents would understand, but Bella got the feeling that perhaps Esme was trying to convince herself as well. Bella knew that there was no getting around the fact that her parents would be very upset with her. How could they not be? So Esme had said that they needed to be prepared for the worst reaction, and implement a course of action.

Esme and Carlisle had asked Bella several questions about how she wanted to handle the situation - such as, would you prefer for your parents to come home and be with you throughout the pregnancy? Would you like to return to California to have the baby? What kind of an adoption would you prefer?

Their questions had really made Bella consider several things she hadn't even thought about before. She had to tell them that she needed time to think about everything she was asking, so they'd given her a few days to think about it before broaching the conversation again.

In those few short days, Bella thought very hard about what she wanted. As much as she wished that her mother were there to hold her hand throughout her pregnancy, she knew that her parents had wanted to go on this archeological dig for years. She in no way wanted to ruin that, and it wasn't as if she didn't have enough support from the Cullen family. She figured that her mom would probably want to come home and be with her - if she didn't disown her, of course - but Bella concluded that it wasn't necessary.

If Esme and Carlisle didn't mind, she figured that she might as well stay in Forks as planned. She could go to school there and have the baby in Forks as well. She knew it sounded selfish and conceited, but she really didn't want to go back to California and let anyone there who knew her see her pregnant. She knew that this was something that she would never forget, but she didn't want to go back home after it was all "over" and have to deal with everyone's questions and looks of disapproval.

As for the kind of an adoption she wanted, Bella wasn't sure. She had talked in length with Esme about her options. At first Bella had thought that she wanted a closed adoption, but after some thought, the idea of never knowing about her child made her uneasy. With an open adoption, she would get pictures and be able to see the baby as long as his or her adoptive parents said it was okay. Bella wasn't so sure that she wanted to see the baby, given the situation was already hard enough, but knowing that she at least had the option made her feel slightly better seeing as there was a chance that she would change her mind later in life.

Bella jumped suddenly when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Edward smiling at her as Jessica and Vicky packed away the game of Twister. She shook her head and laughed uneasily. How long had she been sitting there zoning out? She wondered.

"Did I scare you?" Edward asked sheepishly.

"Oh, no, I was just zoned out ... thinking," she sighed.

Edward nodded absently as Jessica glanced in their direction. She gave Bella a small smile before ushering her siblings out of the room, sensing she and Edward might want some privacy.

"You're nervous about your parents' phone call." It was a statement, not a question.

Bella sighed. "I'm that obvious, huh?"

Edward shrugged. "Well, if I were you, I know I'd probably be pretty nervous too."

A look of worry quickly appeared about Bella's face. Edward immediately knew that he had worded that completely wrong and made Bella think that she had something to worry about.

"I said that completely wrong," Edward said, quickly. "What I mean is - it has to be nerve racking waiting to hear from them."

Bella didn't look convinced. Edward sighed. "Maybe I should just shut up?"

Bella cracked a smile. "No, it's okay," she said. "I know you're just trying to help me relax."

"It's not working, is it?" he grimaced.

"Maybe a little," Bella shrugged and looked down at her hands. "Honestly, what do you think they're going to say?"

"Honestly -" Edward began, thoughtfully. "I have no idea."

Bella nodded. "Yeah ... me either."

"Listen, it will be okay," Edward said, squeezing her hand in a comforting manner. "I know you think I'm just trying to reassure you and make you feel better, which I am, but, honestly, I think everything is going to be okay. Mom and dad will be there if your parents are, like, insanely irate or something, which I doubt they will be. They're calm, rational adults. Sure, this news is probably not something they were expecting to hear, but they probably got your letter at least a few days ago, so they've had _some_ time to let the news sick in and let any of their initial freak out reactions out."

Bella gave Edward a thoughtful look for a moment before smiling softly. "You know, that makes a lot of sense," she commented, nodding as if to further convey her agreement.

"Well, you know, I do occasionally know what I'm talking about," Edward smirked.

"Imagine that," Bella grinned.

Edward sent her a playful glare and opened his mouth to reply just as the phone rang. Bella jumped slightly and looked at Edward with embarrassment.

"Will you answer it?" she asked softly, picking up the phone from its place on the end table.

Edward nodded and took the phone from her. He hit the on button and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?" he asked.

"Let me speak to Bella." Edward immediately recognized the voice of Renee Swan. Edward could tell from her demanding tone that she meant business.

Edward sighed and handed the phone to Bella. Bella looked at the phone as if it were a poisonous snake that was about to bite her. She bit her lip nervously.

"Go on," Edward prodded her, poking her in the arm with his pointer finger.

She gave Edward a hesitant look, and he whispered, "I'll go get mom."

Bella nodded and slowly brought the phone up to her ear. She closed her eyes tightly as she opened her mouth to speak. "Hello?" she said in a small voice.

"Isabella Marie," Renee exclaimed.

"Yes?" Bella whispered, keeping her eyes clinched tight. The hand that was holding the phone was gripping it so tight that she probably would have broke it if she wanted while her free hand was balled up in a fist. Her nails were digging so deep into the palm of her hand that she had probably drew blood, but Bella couldn't feel the pain. All her thoughts were focused on what her mother had to say.

"How ... how could ..." Renee simply seemed to be a loss of words. While Bella distinctively heard anger in her mother's voice, she could also hear something else. At first she couldn't pinpoint it, but then she heard her mother sniffle slightly. She immediately realized that her mother was crying. "Why didn't you tell me?" she finally asked. "Why did you wait until we were halfway around the world before you decided to share this with us?"

Bella's throat felt as if it were tightening up. Silence filled the air. Bella knew that her mother was waiting for an answer, but Bella couldn't get the words to come out. She could feel her whole body shaking, and when she tried again to open her mouth to answer, the only thing that came out was a whimper, which was followed by a heavy flow of tears. "I'm sorry," Bella managed to whisper as she felt a hand on her arm. Bella's eyes sprung open with surprise, and she was relieved to see Esme at her side. She hadn't even felt the couch shift when she'd sat down.

Esme motioned for Bella to give her the phone, which Bella willingly did - even though she could hear her mother's voice on the other end of the phone. None of the words seemed to be registering anyway. Esme cleared her throat and brought the phone to her ear.

"Renee," Esme spoke calmly.

"Where's Bella?" Renee demanded. "I wasn't finished talking to her."

"Oh, I'm sure you weren't," Esme commented. "She's right here beside me."

"Well, let me talk to my daughter," Renee commanded.

"No," Esme replied simply.

"_No?_ NO? What do mean 'no?'" Renee exclaimed.

"Renee, you are irate," Esme said. "You have no business talking to her while you're like this. You'll only upset her."

"Upset her?" Renee laughed bitterly. "I'm the one who got a letter in the mail informing me that my 17-year-old daughter is four months pregnant! If anyone should be upset, it should be me!"

"Renee, I'm not saying you shouldn't be upset," Esme sighed.

"Then let me talk to Bella," Renee said.

"Not just yet," Esme replied. "You still need to calm down. Besides, we have some things to discuss first."

"Such as?" Renee asked.

"Well, first of all, how we're going to handle this situation," Esme began.

"What do you mean _we_?" Renee asked.

"Well, at the moment, you can't just dash your way over here, so for now Bella is in our care," Esme explained. "Therefore, she is just as much my responsibility as she is yours."

"Fine," Renee muttered bitterly. "So, what shall we discuss? Baby names?"

"Renee," Esme spoke sharply. "I understand that you're upset right now, so I'm not going to hold your behavior against you, but for the time being, you need to put your feelings aside and think about your daughter."

Renee sighed. "You're right," she finally said. "I know you're right. I'm just so ... angry with her right now. How could she not tell me? She just let us leave her there, knowing full well that she'd have to tell us as some point."

"Well, I don't think she thinking that far ahead," Esme stated, calmly. She didn't believe the words even as she said them. From what Esme knew about Bella, she knew that Bella was an organized and resourceful young woman. She had spent a lot of time thinking about it and she had no doubt that Bella had had a plan before she came to Forks. However, Esme couldn't prove it nor did she want to broach the subject because she had a distinct feeling that she wouldn't approve of what Bella's "plan" had been.

Renee sighed. "I just can't believe this," she said. "I keep thinking 'not my daughter.'"

"Renee, I know this is a shock," Esme said. "But I've talked to Bella, and I think everything is going to be fine."

"So tell me ... what's the plan?" Renee said, mildly.

"Bella wants to give the baby up for adoption," Esme replied.

"Really?" Renee asked, sounding surprised. "I would have thought she'd want to keep it ..."

"Well, she wants what's best for the baby," Esme replied, watching Bella out of the corner of her eye. Bella's hands were both balled up, the knuckles white, and her face was pale. She looked absolutely terrified, and Esme thought it might be out of fear of the prospect of having to speak with her mother again.

"Well, that's what Charlie and I want as well," Renee replied. "So, I guess we should try to book plane tickets and contact our supervisors ..."

"Actually, that may not be necessary," Esme cut in.

"What?"

"Well, I've asked Bella, and she seems to want everyone to stay right where they are for now," Esme explained.

"Oh, honestly, is she that scared to see me?" Renee asked in disbelief.

"No, I don't believe that's the case," Esme replied. "She doesn't want you and Charlie to give up this opportunity."

"But she's pregnant! We can't just leave her there for you to take care of," Renee said.

"Actually, you can," Esme replied. "I've talked to Carlisle, and we don't mind keeping Bella as planned. Carlisle has a friend who's a lawyer who deals with adoption cases all the time. Carlisle can talk to him to see what the best way to go about the adoption is, and we'll take care of everything. You signed over guardianship for Bella before you left the country, so that shouldn't be a problem."

"Esme, I can't let you do that," Renee said. "This isn't your problem."

"But it isn't a problem," Esme replied. "We love Bella just as much as you do, and we'd be more than happy to help her through this."

Renee took a deep breath. "I'm going to have to talk Charlie about all of this."

"I completely understand," Esme replied. "You and Charlie can talk it over, and just write to us with your reply."

"Okay," Renee agreed. "Now may I talk to my daughter?"

"You may," Esme replied. She then handed the phone over to Bella, who was still looking rather nervous and pale. "She's calmed down," Esme whispered reassuringly.

Bella brought the phone up to her ear once again. "Mom?" she said.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry for sounding like a mad banshee," Renee replied tentatively.

"It's okay," Bella whispered. "I was kind of a expecting something along those lines."

"Did you hear everything Esme said?" Renee asked.

"Yes," Bella replied.

"And what she said was true? You want to give the baby up and you want to stay in Forks?" Renee questioned.

"Yes, I really do," Bella answered, honestly.

"Well, I'll have to talk to your father about all of this," Renee sighed.

"How upset is he?" Bella asked reluctantly.

"Well, I think he took the news better than me," Renee replied, laughing softly.

"I'm so sorry, mom," Bella said. "I know you must be terribly disappointed in me."

"Bella, no, don't think that," Renee said. "I love you no matter what. And we all make mistakes. We'll get through this."

"I love you," Bella said. "Tell Dad I love him too."

"I will," Renee agreed. "You'll be getting a letter from us once I've discussed things with your father, okay?"

"Okay," Bella nodded, even though her mother couldn't see her.

"Take care of yourself ... and the baby," Renee said.

"I will," Bella agreed. She then handed the phone back over to Esme. They continued talking, and Bella felt that the worst of it was over, so she stood up and made her way upstairs.

She entered her room and sunk down on the bed. She was really still in a state of shock. Esme had simply been amazing. The way she had handle Renee was to be envied. Most people would have lashed back out when someone was being cross with them, but Esme had remained so calm yet firm.

Bella felt privileged to have someone like Esme to help her through her situation. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it would have been like if Esme hadn't been there to step in. Bella would probably still be in tears, and Renee would probably still be sputtering off angrily.

Bella laid back on the bed and sighed softly. She knew she was really lucky to have the Cullens looking out for her. Now she just had to wait and see what her parents thought of their plan. She knew her mom wanted to come home with her. She knew she'd feel like it was her obligation, but deep down Bella didn't want her parents to come back. She wanted them to just let her stay with Cullens and leave her be. Most of her reasons were purely selfish, but she couldn't help but reason that it didn't really make a difference whether it was Esme or Renee taking her to the doctor's appointments. Esme was just as much a mother to her as Renee was, and she couldn't see any point in her parents coming home. After all, wouldn't it be easier for them if they never had to see her pregnant? The pregnancy alone was hard enough. The last thing she needed was her parents getting emotional about her giving their grandchild up for adoption. She really did think that staying in Forks was the best solution. She just hoped that her parents would agree.


	23. Chapter 23

Bella looked around the crowded Cullen house and sighed while fanning herself. If there was one thing she thought she'd never grow tired, it was Forks weather. June had been cool, but it had been bearable. July, however, had been a little warmer. She was surprised however, that the heat was still getting to her. If she were back in California, she doubt she would have made it.

Bella groaned miserably to herself as she wandered through the Cullen house. As it was the last day of July, the whole family was home to celebrate Jessica's 15th birthday. Aside from the family, there was also a small crowd of Jessica's friends there to join in on the celebration. Most of the evening had been enjoyable. Dinner had been divine, per usual. Esme had made Jessica's favorite dish, chicken parmesan.

Bella had stuffed herself silly at dinner. She had helped Esme set things up for the party all afternoon and had to smell the food as it was cooking, which had left her stomach gurgling at the tempting smell. The homemade cake and ice cream had been the perfect dessert to go with the meal.

After dinner had come the opening of the presents, which Jessica had lit up like a light bulb at. Her friends had spoiled her with CDs and DVDs while her younger siblings had given her cute little knickknacks and homemade birthday cards. Jasper, Jacob, and Edward had opted for gift cards, as they had virtually no clue what to buy for their teenage sister. Esme and Carlisle had given her a cell phone, which had resulted in a huge squealing fit from Jessica and all of her friends. Bella, on the other hand, had spent a great deal of time thinking about what to buy for Jessica.

She simply adored her and felt as if she were the little sister she had never had. Her friendship had meant so much to Bella that she wanted to repay her, but Bella wasn't sure if she could. After a great deal of searching, Bella had finally decided on buying Jessica a necklace. She had come across it by accident, but when she saw the ad about personalized jewelry, Bella had just known that that would be the perfect gift for Jessica.

Bella had chosen a white gold heart pendent with Jessica's name in script along with her birthstone. It came on a rope chain, and Bella had been so pleased with the way that it turned out. She had to admit that it was a tad bit pricey, but thanks to the credit card her parents had given her before they left, it hadn't been a problem. Besides, she felt like Jessica deserved something nice.

When Jessica opened her gift from Bella, tears had sprung to her eyes. She gave Bella a huge hug and thanked her repeatedly before securing the necklace around her neck. Bella was just relieved that Jessica liked it.

"Well, that's one birthday down," Bella said to herself as she cautiously slipped out of the Cullen household. The sun had set and while it was still fairly warm, it was considerably cooler than it had been that afternoon.

Bella sat down on the porch swing, tucking her right foot under her left leg and rocked the swing slowly with the tip of her left toe. She stared out into the empty street. The only sound she could hear was the muted voices of those still inside the house. At that moment she felt completely at peace. As hectic and nerve-wracking as things had been over the past few weeks, it was nice to just sit back and enjoy the quiet.

The week before she had received her answer from her parents. Their letter had been pretty short and to the point. Even through a letter, Bella could tell that her mother was still fairly upset. Her mother had basically told her to stay out of trouble and that she had to start acting more like an adult since she felt like she was old enough to make adult decisions while her father had written an encouraging note telling her to hang in there and that he loved her. While she hated having her mother upset with her, Bella was simply happy that they were letting her stay in Forks with the Cullens.

Bella knew that things were going to be strained between herself and her mother when they returned to the United States, but she hoped that perhaps the time apart would give Renee some time to cool off and come to terms with the situation. Bella even thought that maybe if her mother never had to see her pregnant it would be easier for her to get over it.

Bella jumped slightly when she heard the front door close. Bella looked over her shoulder and smiled when she saw Jacob walking over to her.

"I wondered where you got to," he commented. "Mind if I sit?"

"Not at all," Bella smiled. "I just needed to get some fresh air. It was getting a little stuffy inside."

Jacob nodded in agreement. "So, how are you doing?" he asked.

Bella shrugged. This was the first time she'd really sat down to talk to Jacob since he'd gotten there. She wasn't even sure if anyone had told him about her pregnancy. She really wouldn't have minded that much if someone else had told him. He had always been like a big brother to her, and she didn't want him to think any less of her.

"Listen, dad told me about ... well, what's been going on around here, you being pregnant and all," Jacob commented.

Bella glanced at him as he spoke and searched his face for any indication of what he was thinking. "Yeah, and?" Bella asked.

"I just wanted to check on you and see how you were holding up," Jacob replied.

"That's all?" Bella asked.

"Yeah," Jacob nodded. "What were you expecting?"

"A lecture on how stupid I am or something, I guess," Bella sighed.

"Bella," Jacob said, wrapping his arm around her. "You're not stupid, and I'm not going to lecture you."

"Aren't you upset with me?" Bella asked.

"I'll admit, I'm a little shocked. You really were the last person I would have expected this to happen to, but that's life," Jacob shrugged.

"My mom hates me," Bella sighed.

"_Bella!_" Jacob exclaimed. "Your mom does not hate you."

"Oh, she's trying to put up a good front, but I can see right through it. She hates me," Bella said. "As frigid as her letter was, you'd think she was writing to me from Antarctica."

"Bells, she's just upset," Jacob said.

Bella sighed and stared out at the street once more. "I'm nervous about starting school," she commented after a long silence.

"Why?" Jacob asked.

Bella rolled her eyes. She thought that it would be obvious why she was nervous, but when she looked at Jacob, she saw that he really had no clue.

"Jacob, I'm going to be the new girl in school, which is bad enough, but I'm also pregnant," Bella explained.

"Well, no one will know unless you tell them," Jacob shrugged.

"Yeah, but they'll figure it out soon enough," Bella sighed. "I'm gaining weight all the time, and it's going to be hard to hide a huge bulge in my belly."

"So, don't hide it," Jacob replied.

"Yeah, that would be great. I go to school and maybe make a few friends, and then say 'oh, by the way, I'm having a baby in January,'" Bella said sarcastically. "I'm sure that will go over really well."

"If people are that superficial, then who needs them?" Jacob asked. "Besides, it's not as if you don't have any friends already," he pointed out. "Jess and Edward will be there for you. And Edward said that you've hung out with Lauren and Mike too."

"Mike doesn't know that I'm pregnant though," Bella commented.

"So?" Jacob shrugged. "He's Edward's best friend. He's not going anywhere, and if he even attempts to act like an ass, Edward will kill him."

Bella laughed softly. She knew it was true. She and Edward had grown closer as the weeks had passed, and she had no doubt that he would stand up for her if needed. The same went for Jessica. Even though she was a fairly small girl, Bella had a feeling that she could hold her own.

"Listen, Bells, I know you're nervous and I doubt me saying 'everything is going to be fine' is going to reassure you that much right now, but you'll see once you start school. It _will_ be fine," Jacob said. "Besides, it's not like you're the first girl to ever get pregnant and go to school."

"Gee, thanks," Bella rolled her eyes.

"I just mean that it's not that unheard of," Jacob shrugged. "And it will be fine. You'll see."

"I hope you're right," Bella sighed.

"Of course I'm right," Jacob grinned. "When have I ever lied to you?"

Bella gave him a pointed look. "If I recall correctly, you told me that monsters lived in the closet in your sisters' room."

"Oh, you were eight at the time. Besides, that was just a joke," Jacob said, cheekily.

"Some joke. I didn't sleep the whole time I was visiting," Bella scowled.

"Hey, you know I just teased out of love," Jacob said. "I've always treated you like you were my real sister."

"That kind of makes me wish that you didn't," Bella commented.

"Oh, Bells, you don't mean that," Jacob laughed. "Besides, we've had some good times, haven't we?"

"Yeah," Bella nodded. The silence that followed was pleasant. Bella had always felt at ease with Jacob. For some reason he had just taken her under his wing years ago, and they had been close ever since.

"So, what are your plans for after high school?" Jacob asked curiously.

Bella shrugged. "I've been thinking about going to law school," she replied.

"So you don't want to be a teacher anymore?" Jacob asked.

"No, I haven't for years," Bella laughed.

"Well, excuse me," Jacob smirked. "I guess we haven't had one of these 'when I grow up' conversations for quite a while."

"No, we haven't," Bella replied. "I've missed that. I've missed this," she sighed. "You and your family is the closest thing to a real family I have besides my parents. I hate that I don't get to see you very often."

"So do I," Jacob nodded. "But hey, we've got you for the rest of the year, so you might be sick of us by then."

"I doubt that," Bella laughed. "You're so lucky. Your family is so close and loving and caring ... You guys actually talk to each other. It took me getting pregnant for my parents to realize that I wasn't as much of an adult as they thought I was. And now my mom says that I have to grow up since I decided to make adult decisions," she said. "I'm not sure if she was referring to the fact that I decided to have sex or that I've decided to give the baby up for adoption."

"Well, I think the decision about the baby is the most important one," Jacob commented. "Just make sure that you're one hundred percent sure about your choice."

Bella nodded. "I am," she replied. "Your mom is supposed to set up a meeting with an adoption agency. They're supposed to fill me in on everything else, and then I'm sure I'll have a whole new batch of decisions to make. I can hardly wait for that."

"Well, you know all of us are always here to help you out," Jacob commented. "So, if you need advice, you have more than enough opinions to go around," he grinned.

"I know," Bella nodded. "Thanks though. It's nice to hear you say that."

"Anytime," Jacob smiled.


	24. Chapter 24

The morning of the first day of school was hectic. Esme had everyone up and was trying to get breakfast to everyone as they all ran around the house trying to collect their things and make sure they had everything they needed for their first day of school.

Bella and Jessica rode to school together while Edward drove separately because he had to be at work after school. Upon their arrival at Forks High School, Jessica helped Bella find her locker and made sure she could get it opened before heading off to her own locker.

After putting her things away, Bella closed her locker and turned and looked around. All around her people were chatting amicably with their friends. Bella couldn't help but feel completely out of place. She knew less than a handful of people and wasn't feeling particularly outgoing at the moment. Everyone around her seemed so intimidating. Just the idea of striking up conversation with someone she didn't know made her nervous.

She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but let out a sigh of relief when she turned around and saw Mike and Lauren standing before her. Mike removed his hand from her shoulder and held his hands up as if to say 'I surrender.'

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Mike said.

"Oh, it's okay," Bella laughed nervously. "I guess I'm just a little jumpy."

"Sounds like you have the first day jitters," Lauren smiled warmly.

"Yeah," Bella nodded.

"So, where's Edward?" Mike asked.

"I'm not sure," Bella replied, scanning the halls briefly. "He drove separately."

"Well, I'm sure he'll turn up," Lauren commented.

"Unless he got lost in the parking lot," Mike shrugged.

Bella raised her eyebrows curiously.

Lauren waved her hand around dismissively. "Apparently Jacob got lost in the parking lot his first year driving here," she explained.

Bella cracked a smile at the mention of Jacob. "He always was kind of ditzy, wasn't he?" Bella commented.

Lauren grinned and nodded. "So, what's your first class?"

"Um ..." Bella dug her schedule out of her notebook and looked at it. "English."

"Ew, with Rogers?" Mike asked, scrunching up his nose.

Bella looked back down at her schedule to see who the teacher was. "No, Carter," she replied.

"Oh, how did you get so lucky?" Mike asked. "I had Rogers. That dude hated me."

"Mike, you never did your homework and slept through his class all the time," Lauren commented.

"Yeah, so?" Mike shrugged.

Lauren turned to Bella and rolled her eyes. "Mrs. Carter's really nice," she said. "I had her for creative writing, and from what I heard her English class isn't so bad."

"That's good hear," Bella smiled.

"So what else are you taking?" Mike asked.

"Um ... Physics, American History, and Pre-Calculus," Bella replied, reading off her schedule.

"I thought you were only a junior," Lauren commented.

"I am," Bella replied.

Lauren knit her eyebrows together and snatched Bella's schedule to examine it. "So why are you taking Pre-Cal and Physics? Those are senior classes," she commented.

Bella shrugged. "I did good in math my seventh grade year, so they let me skip pre-algebra, so that's why I'm ahead in math. And I was in the advanced science class back home," she explained. Her cheeks flushed. She hated explaining herself. She knew she sounded like such a brain.

Lauren looked impressed. "Well, you have Physics with me and Mike," she commented. "Edward might have it at the same time too. Maybe you can help us understand that crap."

"God, please," Mike groaned. "I'm awful at science."

"So how did you make it to Physics?" Bella asked curiously.

Mike grinned innocently at Lauren, who simply rolled her eyes. Lauren started to open her mouth to make a comment, but Edward rushing up to them and placing his arms around hers and Bella's shoulders interrupted her.

"Hello, ladies," he grinned at them.

Mike cleared his throat and looked at Edward expectantly.

"Again, I say - hello, _ladies_," Edward smiled cheekily.

Mike shot him a glare as Lauren asked, "Where have you been?"

"Getting my schedule changed," Edward replied, removing his left arm from around Lauren's shoulder and pulling a paper out of his back pocket. "I now have Physics with all of you, and Pre-Cal with you, Bells."

Bella smiled. "Thank god," she sighed. "At least I'll know _someone_."

"How did you manage getting it changed so fast?" Mike asked. "Anytime I try to change my schedule, Mrs. Cope claims it can't be done."

"That's only because you're always trying to get into the easiest classes there are," Lauren commented.

"Whatever," Mike rolled his eyes. "So, how did you manage it, man?" he asked Edward.

"Let's just say Mrs. Cope likes me a lot," Edward grinned. "I told her that Jacob told me to tell her hello."

"Why would that matter?" Bella asked.

"Oh, she so had the hots for him," Lauren laughed. "Jacob could get away with anything when she was around."

"She even let him hang out in the teacher's lounge. From what I hear it's really nice in there too," Mike commented. "She wanted him _bad_."

Bella couldn't help but laugh. "You're joking, right?" she asked, looking around at them.

"Nope, dead serious," Edward replied.

"Wow," Bella laughed as a bell went off.

"Oh, shit," Mike said. "I guess we should be getting to class."

"Do you know where you're going, Bells?" Edward asked.

She nodded. "I think so. Jess pointed it out on our way in."

"Okay, well, I'll see in physics in an hour and a half," Edward grinned.

"I can't wait," Bella laughed.

"See ya, Bella," Lauren called as she, Edward, and Mike headed in the opposite direction of Bella.

"See ya," Bella replied as she hurried down the hallway to the room that Jessica had pointed out.

When Bella entered the classroom, she was surprised to find several seats still empty. She glanced at her watch and according to it class would be beginning in less than a minute. She wondered where everyone else was. She quickly took a seat toward the middle of the classroom and looked around the room.

There was a group of students near the back of the room, all of which who looked less than friendly. At the front of the room was another group of students, but to Bella they all looked like they'd stepped out of the movie Revenge of the Nerds. The seats on either side of her were still empty, and she hoped that more people would show up and at least sit by her so that she wouldn't look like a complete idiot sitting alone in the middle of the room.

Luckily, her prayers where answered when a tall blonde-haired girl walked into the room. She looked around the room for a moment before walked over to the empty seat on Bella's left side. "Is anyone sitting here?" she asked.

"No," Bella smiled.

The girl smiled and sat down in the seat. She glanced around the room once again, surveying the crowds much in the same manner as Bella. "Wonder where everyone is," she commented.

Bella shrugged. "I don't know."

"Probably lost," she shrugged. "First day everyone ends up in the wrong place. Probably because they keep moving the teacher's rooms around," she laughed. "I'm Kate, by the way."

"Bella," she replied with a smile.

"Nice to meet you," Kate replied. "Are you new here?"

Bella nodded.

"Well, welcome to Forks High School," Kate grinned with a roll of her eyes. "Did you just move here?" she asked curiously.

"Actually, no, I'm just staying with the Cullens for the year," Bella replied.

"Cullens? As in Edward and Jacob?" she grinned.

Bella nodded. "You know them?" she asked.

"Who doesn't?" Kate asked. "So, why are you staying with them for the year?"

"My parents are out of the country for work," Bella explained.

"Ohh," Kate smiled as a group of students walked into the classroom followed by a short brunette woman who was carrying a clipboard and had a pencil stuck behind her ear.

"Hello, class," the woman smiled warmly as she walked to the front of the classroom. "Before I begin, let me make sure everyone is where they belong. I'm Mrs. Carter, and this is English class."

One kid near the back of the room stood up and said, "Oops."

"Kevin, don't you ever check your schedule before you go to class?" Mrs. Carter asked, wearily.

The kid shrugged and headed for the door. "Anyone else not supposed to be here?" she asked. When no one else stood up or said anything, she proceeded with calling role before she dived right into going over the syllabus.

The first class passed by quickly. Mrs. Carter assigned the students to write a paper about themselves and gave them the last hour of class to get started on them. In that time Bella spent a lot of time trying to figure out how much she wanted to reveal about herself. Normally when she wrote papers about herself, there wasn't much to say. However this time she had the option of explaining about staying in Forks while her parents were out of the country, and of course there was the whole issue of pregnancy. In the end Bella decided not to reveal her pregnancy just yet. She wasn't sure if the teacher would make them do peer readings, and if she did, she certainly wasn't ready to let the other students in on her secret.

When the bell finally rang signaling that that class was over, Bella grabbed her things and stood up. She headed for the hallway with Kate by her side.

"What class do you have next?" Kate asked.

"Physics," Bella replied, making a face.

"Ew," Kate replied, grinning. "You didn't tell me that you were a brain."

"Sorry, I guess it slipped my mind," Bella replied. "Do you happen to know where exactly Mr. Murphy's classroom is?"

"It's straight down this hallway," Kate pointed out. "And when you get to the end of the hallway, turn left and it's the first classroom on the right side."

"Okay," Bella nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem," Kate smiled. "And my locker's over this way, so I'll see you later, okay?"

"You betcha," Bella smiled as she continued down the hallway. She took a brief detour to drop off her English book before she followed Kate's instructions to find the Physics room. She walked into the classroom just as the bell rang. She was relieved however to find that Edward had saved a seat in front of him and beside Lauren. Mike was seated beside Edward and behind Lauren. They all waved her over to their side of the room and Bella slid into her seat.

"Cutting it kind of close, aren't you?" Edward grinned, and Bella turned around and shot him a glare as the teacher entered the room.

As it turned out, there was very little time to talk in Physics class. The only way to describe Mr. Murphy was as boring. He talked in a monotonous voice much like Ben Stein, and Bella mused that she felt like she'd fallen into class with Ferris Bueller.

He spent most of the class going over the rules for the lab and explaining the many projects that they would be doing, and the last half of the class they had to watch a movie, which showed no relevance whatsoever to Physics.

By the time class was over, Bella had to hold her head up with her hand and was struggling to keep her eyes opened. From the sound of things, Physics was not going to be a great deal of fun, seeing as Mr. Murphy thought it important to test them every two weeks and also spring pop quizzes on them in between.

Bella had never had a problem with studying though, so she figured that she would do fine. She also felt lucky that she didn't have to experience the class alone. At least she had Mike, Lauren, and Edward by her side. She wasn't so sure that any of them would be much help in the studying department though. She noticed that Mike and Edward were passing notes behind her back while Lauren was busy scribbling in her notebook.

When the bell finally rang, the whole class jumped out of the chairs and headed for the door as if they were afraid of spending another moment of their time in the Physics classroom.

"Well, that was boring," Mike commented as they walked down the hallway.

"No joke," Lauren agreed. "Mr. Murphy is just an old grump, who loves seeing his students suffer."

"Well, he'll certainly have a grand old time flunking me," Edward commented.

"You're not going to flunk," Bella said.

"Yeah, right," he muttered.

"Hey Bells is the brains of this operation," Mike said. "You think you can get us all through Physics with a passing grade?"

"I dunno," Bella shrugged as she walked over to her locker.

"Well, if you can get me through Physics with at least a C, I'll pay you hundred dollars," Mike said.

"Hey, you better not say stuff like that to her," Edward commented. "She is really smart, and she might hold you to it."

"If she can do, I'll pay up," Mike grinned as he backed away from Bella's lockers. "I'm gonna go throw my books in my locker."

"Me too," Lauren said.

"Okay, we'll meet you in the cafeteria," Edward nodded as he watched Lauren start to walk away. "So, how was English?" he asked, turning back to Bella.

She shrugged as she opened her locker. "It was alright," she replied as she placed her books inside. "I have to write an essay about myself."

"How fun," Edward commented.

"I think I made a friend though," she said with a slight smile.

"Aw, my little Bella is growing up so fast," Edward grinned, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into a hug.

Bella shrugged him away as her cheeks flamed with embarrassment. "Shut up," she muttered.

Edward simply laughed as Bella shut her locker. "So, why didn't you tell me that you and Jacob were so popular around here?" Bella asked as she and Edward started walking down the hallway.

"Well, _I'm_ not popular," Edward shrugged.

"Could have fooled me," Bella said. "I mentioned your last name to Kate, and she immediately knew which Cullens I was talking about."

"I'm just popular by association," Edward shrugged. "Everyone around here knows who Jacob is. He was Mr. Studmuffin or something."

"And how did he get to be so popular?" Bella asked curiously as they stopped in front of Edward's locker. She knew that Jacob was friendly and definitely a nice guy, but she never had any idea he was so popular at school.

"Well, you've seen him," Edward muttered as he opened his locker.

Bella tried to suppress a laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" Edward asked, looking confused.

"You mean to tell me that Jacob's Mr. Popular around here because he's nice looking?" she asked.

Edward nodded.

"Well, that's pretty superficial," Bella commented. "And if that's how it works, then you're _not_ just popular by association," she added.

Edward glanced at Bella as if he was surprised by her words, but she interrupted him before he could comment. "Can you hurry up?" she asked. "I'm starving."

Edward rolled his eyes. "You and your damn hunger cramps," he commented as he shut his locker.

He guided her down the hallway to the cafeteria. They looked around for a moment before Edward spotted Lauren and Mike at the table near the back.

"God, look at that line," Mike commented. "We're never gonna get to eat."

"That's why you bring your lunch," Lauren grinned, holding up her sandwich, which she had already bitten into.

"Why didn't you think of that?" Bella asked, elbowing Edward in the side.

"Hey, you're supposed to be the smart one," Edward replied, rubbing his side.

"And I'm supposed to be worried about losing a hundred dollars?" Mike smirked.

"Oh, you are so on," Bella grinned wickedly at him.

Mike rolled his eyes. "Should we go get in line?"

"Might as well," Edward shrugged. "It's just getting longer, so we might as well jump in."

"Why don't you use your popular status to get us closer to the front?" Bella commented sarcastically as she followed Edward and Mike up to the lunch line.

"Yeah, why don't you?" Mike chimed in.

Edward made a face at both of them as he made it to the end of the line. "Why don't both of you shut up?" he grumbled.

Mike turned to Bella and simply grinned. Surprisingly, the line moved quickly and once the three of them had their food, they headed back to the lunch table, where Lauren was still munching on her lunch.

"Well, that didn't take too terribly long," Lauren commented as they all sat down.

Bella quickly dug into her lunch. Normally, cafeteria food was a huge turn off to her, but she'd found herself being pulled more towards foods that she normally wouldn't have tried. Esme had explained that when she was pregnant she'd ate many different things that she normally didn't care for, so Bella attributed all of her strange new cravings to her pregnancy.

As she was eating, she spotted Jessica walking over to their table. "Hey," Jessica smiled as she sat down in the seat beside Bella.

"Hey Jess," Bella said between bites.

"How's your day been so far?" Jessica asked.

"Pretty good," Bella replied. "How's yours?"

Jessica shrugged. "It's been okay."

"Have you already eaten?" Bella asked.

"Yep," Jessica nodded.

"How'd you manage to eat so fast?" Edward asked, without so much as greeting his sister.

Jessica shrugged. "My last class is just across the hallway," she replied.

"What class is that?" Mike asked.

"Choir," Jessica replied.

"Ohh," he grunted.

"Maybe you should join choir," Lauren said to Mike. "Then you wouldn't have to wait in line for lunch anymore."

"No thanks," Mike rolled his eyes.

"I second that," Edward said. "What are you thinking, Lauren? You've heard him sing."

"That's true ..." Lauren snorted. "Sorry, bad idea."

Jessica laughed lightly and turned to Bella. "So, do you want me to meet you by your locker after school?"

"Sure, that's sounds good," Bella nodded as a tall girl with dirty blonde hair walked over to the table. She sat down in the seat across from Bella.

"Hey guys," she smiled sweetly.

"Hey Tanya," Lauren replied with a small smile as Edward and Mike muttered something reminiscent of a the word 'hello.'

Tanya eyed Bella curiously and started to open her mouth to ask who she was just as Edward said, "This is Bella. The girl that's staying with my family," he said. "And you know Jess, right?"

Tanya glanced at Jessica briefly and nodded her head curtly. "Hi," she said without much enthusiasm before turning back to Edward. "Mrs. Carlson called your name in second block. Why weren't you in class?"

"I switched," Edward replied as he stuffed a few chips in his mouth.

"He's in Physics with me, Lauren, and Bella now," Mike added.

"Oh," Tanya said. She glanced around the table, looking slightly annoyed. "Well, I'll see you all later," she said.

"Hopefully, _way_ later," Edward muttered under his breath. Bella heard his words and bit back a smile as the bell rang.

Jessica groaned. "Ew, time for Biology," she grumbled as she stood up.

Bella stood up as well and started to pick up her lunch tray, but Mike grabbed it. "I'll take it for you," he smiled.

"Thanks," Bella smiled slightly. She glanced at Jessica and saw the crestfallen look upon her face and couldn't help but feel bad, but Jessica shrugged as if to say 'it's not your fault.'

Edward threw his tray on top of Bella's tray. "You can take mine too while you're at it," he said.

Mike looked around for any signs of teachers before he stuck his middle finger up at Edward. Edward smiled cheekily before looking at Bella and nodding his head toward the door.

"So, you know where you're going next?" he asked as they walked into the hallway with Jessica and Lauren a step behind them.

"American History," Bella replied.

"Who with?" he asked.

"Um ... Mr. Felton?" Bella replied uncertainly.

"Oh, that's right next to your locker," Edward shrugged. "Ya know that door to the left of your locker?" he asked.

Bella nodded.

"That's the room," Edward replied.

"Okay, great," Bella smiled. "Now what about Pre-Cal?"

"Um ..." Edward thought for a moment. "Ya know what? I'll just meet you at your locker and walk with you to class, okay? That'll be way easier than trying to explain it to you."

"Okay," Bella agreed.

Jessica and Lauren bid their goodbyes and went their separate ways to their lockers while Edward walked to Bella's to hers before heading off to his own. Bella quickly gathered her books and went into the classroom that Edward had pointed out before going to his locker.

She looked around the room for a seat and smiled with she spotted Kate waving at her. Bella waved back and hurried over to the empty seat beside her. She and Kate began talking as they were waiting for the bell to ring, and once class began, Bella sat back and smiled to herself. 'Forks High School may not be so bad after all' she decided.


End file.
